Over half the fish caught Monday by Press-Register reporters in the Gulf of Mexico surf off of Dauphin Island, Alabama had the "horrifying," bloody, red lesions on their bodies, now suspected to be a disease caused by the Pfiesteria bacteria attributed to pollutants and linked to human health effects if exposed to fish kills or fish with the lesions. Tarballs and oil were visible in the area of the diseased fish, twenty-one months after the beginning of the nation's worst man-made environmental catastrophe in history, the BP oil "spill" that is still "spilling" in deafening silence.
"Fishing along an uninhabited portion of the barrier island during a trip to survey beaches for tarballs, the newspaper caught 21 fish, 14 of them with lesions," reported the Press-Register on Wednesday.
"Of those fish, eight had lesions a quarter of an inch across or smaller, while six had much larger blemishes.
"Buried mats of oil persist in the surf zone along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and tarballs remain common on the beach," according to the Press-Register. (Emphasis added)
Four facts about crude oil's benzene that Gulf human rights defenders have repeatedly warned the public about since April 20, 2010 when the ongoing oil-related catastrophe began are:
- Benzene is in crude oil.
- Benzene is one of the most highly carcinogenic compounds that we come into contact in our lives.
- Benzene is extremely hazardous, especially to children, the unborn and pregnant women.
- There are no safe levels of benzene.
Officials said that "BP crews working on the water’s edge on Mississippi’s Petit Bois Island — adjacent to Dauphin Island — collect about 250 pounds of tarballs per day," according to the Press-Register report.
Jim Cowan, a Louisiana State University scientist investigating disease in Gulf red snapper since the BP oil catastrophe recently said his work suggests sick fish are more common in locations that received oil during the spill.
Cowan had said in August, "When one of these things comes on deck, it's sort of horrifying.
"I mean, there these large dark lesions and eroded fins and areas on the body where scales have been removed. I'd imagine I've seen 30 or 40,000 red snapper in my career, and I've never seen anything like this. At all. Ever."
He had said last summer that the oil catastrophe was the likely cause of the diseased fish.
Anonymous commented about the Press-Register article:
"I was out on Westend Public Beach of Dauphin Island on 12/31/11. It was so very sad and pathetic..."As far as the eye could see oil mats were right under the surface of the sand, a dead pelican and dead raccoon laid in the tide line about 100 feet apart from one another. I think they may have eaten some of those fish."It is infuriating that the USCG signed this off as clean, and let BP off the hook. How can you restore something, if you don't clean it first?"The Sealab was givin millions in Grants by BP for Science on the spill. I don't trust it what so ever. It will not surprise me if BP uses Dauphin Island Sealab data on the spill, as a defense in the trial that starts next month. I encourage all skeptics to go to DI westend public beach. Please look for yourselves."I also encourage the citizens of Alabama to come to the BOEMRE Public Input Meeting Jan 12, at 1pm 5 Rivers Delta Complex Spanish Fort. This meeting is regarding the 5 year lease/ sale for drilling permits in the Central Gulf off Alabama's Coast."We take all the risk, while Big Oil gets all the profit. Don't be deceived by Politicians and The Media. The USA's biggest export in 2011 was Fuel. Why? Think about it!"
Four years ago in Mobile Bay, fish were presenting with similar lesions during a widespread disease outbreak that scientists attributed the Pfiesteria bacteria. Sceintists had said those fish were vulnerble to infection due to pollutants.
Ongoing studies by Maryland physicians have linked Pfiesteria and human health impacts. They have identified a number of health effects in people exposed to fish kills and fish with lesions on the Pocomoke River according to a Maryland state Pfiesteria Fact Sheet.
Gulf scientists have already found that the killer bacteria causing the Gulf Dolphin die-off can infect humans.
One year ago, scientists released a report on Louisiana seafood tests that confirmed the present dangerous human health situation, especially to children, not just in the Gulf region but also throughout the nation where Gulf fish is shipped.
Up to 30% of the nation’s seafood in a given year comes from Louisiana, much of which has been mislabeled and declared safe by sniff tests.
In October, Margaret Curole, featured in the movie, "The Big Fix" showed reporter Deborah Dupré photos of deformed fish and shrimp that had been pulled out of the Gulf in bucket loads; crabs with holes in their hard shells; shrimp and fish with no eyes; and fish with the grotesque open wounds -- similar to those that many Gulf Coast residents have and cannot rid.
NOAA's Dr. Terri Rowles said in October, “Die-offs from bacterial infections could be occurring because the bacterium has become more lethal," after public health experts and toxicologists had found that the combined BP oil and Corexit dispersant in the Gulf is 11 times more lethal than oil alone.
Maryland has issued a statement in its fact sheet: "Reports of illness thought to be related to water exposure are to be reported to local health departments who are forwarding the information to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) for epidemiological analysis."
Dr. Rodney Soto explained in 2010 that the only two ways for up to 40 million people as far as 1,000 miles inland to survive toxic exposure from BP's oil catastrophe were to either relocate or to be on an intensive, long-term, well-managed detoxification regime. ("Gulf hero Dr. Soto: Detox or move only ways to survive")
On December 28, the Sugar Bowl announced plans with BP for a two-week promotion of Gulf Coast seafood.
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