Algae bloom toxins take deadly turtle toll

JAMESPORT, N.Y. — Hundreds of small turtles have washed up dead on the eastern end of Long Island in the past month, a die-off scientists blame on waterborne toxins that have reached unprecedented levels for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.

Necropsies on some of the more than 200 diamondback terrapins found on the island’s North Fork point to saxitoxin, a biotoxin produced in algae blooms that has been found in the water at 10 times the normal level. The poison collects in shellfish, which are eaten by the turtles in brackish bays and estuaries, quickly causing paralysis and death.

“We’re seeing bodies washing up in perfect condition. This has never happened before. It’s an alarming thing,” said Karen Testa, executive director of Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, whose volunteers have collected dozens of the dead turtles and sent them to state officials for analysis.

She said all signs point to saxitoxin.

“There’s no other explanation for what’s causing the die-off of these poor animals,” she said. “It’s a horrible way to go.”

Christopher Gobler, a professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences who has studied algal blooms off Long Island for more than 20 years, said saxitoxin is normally detected in the region’s waters but he has never seen saxitoxin this high and never seen it cause such a wildlife die-off.

Red algae blooms produce the saxitoxin, which state officials have called a “dangerous neurotoxin” that can damage or impair nerve tissue.

Saxitoxin also can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans, which typically results in numbness and tightening in the face and a loss of coordination.

Experts say the damage already done to the eastern Long Island turtle population, coming during the breeding and egg-laying season, could have long-term consequences.