Salvadoran Mass Turtle Deaths Tied To Red Tide - MSNBC

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A lethal algal bloom dubbed “Red Tide” by scientists caused a mysterious mass die-off of sea turtles on the Pacific shores of El Salvador, a U.S. conservation group said on Friday.

“A ’Red Tide’ event that occurred off the coast of El Salvador late last year directly caused the deaths of some 200 sea turtles,” the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement.

WCS said the cause of death was revealed by tests on tissue samples from the dead reptiles, which were mostly olive ridley turtles but also included green and hawksbill turtles. All are considered to be endangered.

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“Red Tide events have become increasingly common around the world, causing significant impacts on wild marine animal populations, massive economic losses to shellfish producers, and occasionally human deaths,” WCS said. “While the algal blooms are a natural occurrence, human wastes such as run-off containing fertilizers and sewage from urban areas have been postulated as triggers for these events.”

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11993114/