What was the cause of the mullet fish kill?
The cause of the death of mullet was an infection by the bacterium Streptococcus. The symptoms, including skin lesions, reddened fins, red and popped-out eyes and internal hemorrhaging are consistent with disease in fish caused by Streptococcus. Similar Streptococcus infections have been reported from around the world, particularly in aquaculture facilities. As the rate of death of fish began to wane, a new problem emerged in the Bay. This event was the development of a red tide, with patches of visibly red water, composed of Gymnodinium catenatum, Gyrodinium impudicum, and Pyrodinium bahamese var. compressum. These species likely thrived on the nutrient soup that developed from the presence of natural nutrients, combined with the byproducts of dead and rotting fish. The red tide, fortunately, was not sustained for long. However, the presence of these organisms raises serious concerns for future ecosystem management. What caused the bacterial infection to occur? There are several poten
