Nation : Dolphin Deaths Traced to ‘Red Tide’

The “red tide,” poisonous algae from the Gulf of Mexico, killed hundreds of bottlenose dolphins along the Atlantic Seaboard in 1987 and 1988, scientists reported today.

The algae were carried by small fish, menhaden or Spanish mackerel, that were eaten by the dolphins, weakening the mammals’ cardiovascular and immune systems, according to Dr. Joseph Geraci, a veterinarian and professor of wildlife diseases at the University of Guelph in Canada. Geraci led a team of more than 100 scientists, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in an 18-month study of the dolphin deaths.