Biologist Says Lake Van Residents Need Not Panic About Fish Eaten From the Lake By Richard Morris KBIM Radio News (10/28/14) New Mexico Game and Fish Biologist Shawn Denny says the Golden Algae which has killed the majority of fish in Lake Van is not a danger to humans. “When it (Golden Algae ) blooms, and by bloom we mean there is a large volume of that organism, it is the size of a red blood cell and it turns the water kind of a golden iced tea color a lot of times. It actually produces a toxin that interrupts the fish at their gills. So there is plenty of oxygen in the water but the fish cannot get the oxygen into their bodies, “ he says. “The toxin does not affect people, mammals, birds, lizards or anything on land,” he says. He adds there has not been any consumption advisory issued for fish caught in Lake Van. However, he does not recommend people pick up or eat a dead fish anywhere. “Even when you know the causes of what has happened with that, you do not know how long the fish has been dead. There could be fish killed in other parts of the state that are caused by something else,” he added. He went on to add that one should always clean their equipment and boats when moving from one body of water to the other. He says the length of a bloom can last anywhere from a week to sometimes two months depending on various environmental factors. Denny says research is ongoing with other state agencies and other states in various mitigation efforts to deal with the situation.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:57:47 +0000
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