Scallop Kill Raises Pollution Questions

Long Island’s bay scallop crop has nearly been wiped out by a mysterious, summer algae. The microscopic brown algae supplanted the plankton on which the shellfish normally fed, and the scallops weakened and died.

This apparently is another dismaying story about the difficulties pollution imposes on commercial fisherman and fish processors.

Scientists aren’t sure, but some blame the algae growth in Long Island Bay on the effects of surface runoffs of nitrate fertilizers from farm fields and lawns and the increased outflow of sewage treatment plants and septic systems. Some scientists theorize that the pollutants and this summer’s warm weather created a favorable condition for excessive algae growth.

Everyone agrees that there are no easy solutions to the problem. Not only has 90% of the 1985 bay scallop crop been destroyed, but no seed scallops are evident, either. That means it could take years to get local fishing industry back to normal, unless dramatic restoration efforts are undertaken.

Pollution problems aren’t as bad in Orange County, but they do exist.

The runoff of chemical fertilizers from gardens and groves above Upper Newport Bay contribute heavily to the local marine environment. These pollutants flow with the ebbing tide into Newport Harbor and into the sea.

Alarmingly, the toxic chemical DDT, although its production and use was outlawed six years ago, is still present in the tissues of marine creatures.

The highest levels of DDT ever recorded in mussel tissues were found last August in Newport Harbor, Anaheim Bay and Los Angeles Harbor. The Rhine Channel in Newport Harbor also showed a high level of PCB, another toxic contaminant once widely used used in paints and industrial solvents. The effects of PCB, its general use outlawed in 1979, is still showing up. A recent sampling in Long Beach Harbor showed an increase of PCB over 1980.

The amount of PCB flowing out of the eight major outfalls along the California coast has not dropped since 1979, and in some cases is rising, according to Dr. David Brown of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project.

Project researchers last year visited the Cortez Bank, about about 130 miles off our coast. They went there to sample fish in a presumably pristine area, to see how they compared with those caught in contaminated areas. They discovered, to their surprise, the fish were too contaminated for use.

PCB and DDT are found in animals and waters all over the world. The chemicals simply won’t go away because they are not water soluble.

Sailing Notes

As authorized by the passage of a recent state bill, a new artificial reef will be built off Oceanside sometime next year. The bill makes the funding for the reef a priority for the Dept. of Fish and Game, and directs the department to study such reefs to determine their effectiveness in replenishing fish populations. . . . The economic importance of unpolluted saltwater for recreational fishery in Southern California was emphasized in a report prepared for the National Marine Fisheries Service by the National Coalition for Marine Conservation. The economic value of marine recreational fishing in the area is estimated at about $953 million annually. . . . Of the estimated 24.6 million fish caught by Southern California anglers, 10.3% were caught from man-made structures, 4.77% from beaches and banks, 42% from party and charter boats and 43% from private and rental boats. Mackerel, rockfish and kelp bass accounted for 55% of the catch. . . . The light on the southwest danger buoy around construction of the new oil platform Esther, under construction in the San Pedro Channel about seven miles off Huntington Beach, has been repaired to show a flashing white light. Meanwhile, the Dana Point outfall buoy is missing altogether.