APRIL 21, 2015
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
The Texas State Aquarium said Tuesday that an outside
investigation by an outside consultant reveals that a massive fish kill
occurred because an industrial chemical was mistakenly introduced into a
huge fish tank instead of an insecticide which is commonly used to
kill worms and lice in fish, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
389 fish, including some rare species, died April
14 at the aquarium in the coastal city of Corpus Christi, which is a major
tourist attraction and a conservator of sea life from the Gulf of Mexico and
the Caribbean.
Aquarium CEO Tom Schmid said Aquarium employees
introduced the chemical Trichlorfon into a fish tank to kill parasites in the
tank. He says when they introduced a similar white powdered chemical from
another container with the same label, the fish started dying. Schmid
says lab tests show that second chemical was an industrial solvent used
as a paint and fuel additive, a chemical Schmid identified as an 'isomer
of hydroquinone resorcinol,' which is identified by the National Institutes of
Health as a 'common chemical that has widespread application in industrial
activities.'
"We are in the process of cleaning all of the
impacted systems to remove any trace of the toxin" Schmid said.
"Once we have established that the water is safe, we will begin
adding new fish, which could happen as early as this week."
Schmid says aquariums from across the U.S., Canada,
and Singapore have offered 'support and condolences' due to the die-off, which
he described as 'one of the most significant losses of marine life in our
history.'
Among the aquatic life that died was a sand tiger
shark which was one of the symbols of the Aquarium.
Schmid didn't say how the apparent mislabeling
happened, and said he is 'not prepared' to release the name of the company that
supplied the chemicals.
The accident killed all but two of the fish
inside the 125,000 gallon Islands of Steel exhibit, the largest at the
Aquarium.
//-------------------------------------//
Almost 400 fish dead after "chemical mix-up" at Texas
State Aquarium
(CNN) — A poisonous chemical used in film processing is
being blamed for killing almost 400 fish at the Texas State Aquarium.
The chemical got into the Corpus Christi facility’s fish
tanks last week by mistake during a parasite treatment. The aquarium director says
containers were mislabeled.
The aquarium thought it was using the drug trichlorfon, but
instead an “isomer of hydroquinone resorcinol” was used, according to test
results.
The National Institutes of Health identifies hydroquinone as
a common but toxic chemical that is used in film processing, as a stabilizer in
paint and motor fuels, and in cosmetics.
The statement from the Texas State Aquarium did not release
the name of the company that supplied the chemicals.
But CNN affiliate KRIS obtained a statement from Fishman
Chemical that says it sold the chemical to the aquarium.
Dr. David Fishman, Fishman Chemical’s owner, says he has
never had an issue like this before.
“I’m absolutely at a loss of what to say. But I’m waiting to
get their sample and test it,” Fishman told the affiliate.
389 fish, including the aquarium’s iconic male sand tiger
shark, were killed. The fish inhabited several large habitats, including the
Islands of Steel exhibit and the Flower Gardens exhibit.
The tanks are now being decontaminated.
The aquarium, which calls the fish kill “the most
significant losses of marine life in our 25-year history,” has been getting
donations to help with the recovery.
It says a shipment of fish has already arrived from the Sea
Life Aquarium in Grapevine, Texas.
Almost 400 fish dead after chemical mix-up at Texas State
Aquarium. http://t.co/zJQDlxGgn1 pic.twitter.com/Wi3Nk3xlab
— Andreas Preuss (@AndreasCNN) April 23, 2015
//------------------------------------//
Hundreds of fish were killed at the Texas State Aquarium in
Corpus Christi after an industrial chemical was mistakenly introduced to a huge
tank instead of a drug commonly used to kill worms and lice in fish, the
aquarium said on Tuesday.
Some rare species were among 389 fish killed on April 14,
said officials at the tourist attraction and conservator of sea life from the
Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Only two fish survived.
About 13 percent of its entire collection was killed,
including a sand tiger shark and hundreds of fish in its 125,000-gallon
(473,000-liter) Islands of Steel and 40,000-gallon (151,000-liter) Flower
Gardens exhibits, the aquarium said.
Aquarium President Tom Schmid said fish began dying after
employees introduced what they thought was a low dose of a drug used to kill
parasites in fish.
Tests showed that a mislabeled container held an industrial
chemical commonly used in film processing and in paint and fuel that is a
poison and carcinogen, Schmid said.
Schmid said they were cleaning the impacted systems and
would begin to add new fish possibly as early as this week when the water is
confirmed safe.
Aquariums from the United States, Canada and as far away as
Singapore have offered support and condolences over what was one of the most
significant losses of marine life in the aquarium's history, he said.
Schmid said the aquarium had sent samples to a state
veterinary lab.
//-----------------------------//
State Aquarium Blames Chemical Mix Up for Fish Kill
Wednesday, April 22nd 2015
The Texas State Aquarium said Tuesday that an outside
investigation by an outside consultant reveals that a massive fish kill
occurred because an industrial chemical was mistakenly introduced into a
huge fish tank instead of an insecticide which is commonly used to
kill worms and lice in fish, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
389 fish, including some rare species, died April
14 at the aquarium in the coastal city of Corpus Christi, which is a major
tourist attraction and a conservator of sea life from the Gulf of Mexico and
the Caribbean.
Aquarium CEO Tom Schmid said Aquarium employees
introduced the chemical Trichlorfon into a fish tank to kill parasites in the
tank. He says when they introduced a similar white powdered chemical from
another container with the same label, the fish started dying. Schmid
says lab tests show that second chemical was an industrial solvent used
as a paint and fuel additive, a chemical Schmid identified as an 'isomer
of hydroquinone resorcinol,' which is identified by the National Institutes of
Health as a 'common chemical that has widespread application in industrial
activities.'
"We are in the process of cleaning all of the
impacted systems to remove any trace of the toxin" Schmid said.
"Once we have established that the water is safe, we will begin
adding new fish, which could happen as early as this week."
Schmid says aquariums from across the U.S., Canada,
and Singapore have offered 'support and condolences' due to the die-off, which
he described as 'one of the most significant losses of marine life in our
history.'
Among the aquatic life that died was a sand tiger
shark which was one of the symbols of the Aquarium.
Schmid didn't say how the apparent mislabeling
happened, and said he is 'not prepared' to release the name of the company that
supplied the chemicals.
The accident killed all but two of the fish
inside the 125,000 gallon Islands of Steel exhibit, the largest at the
Aquarium.