Golden Alga (Prymnesium parvum) in Texas

Workshop Abstracts

Historical Review of Golden Alga (Prymnesium parvum) Problems in Texas

Joan Glass

Resource Protection Division, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, 1601 E. Crest Dr., Waco, Texas 76705 USA

Abstract.--Since 1985, blooms of the golden alga Prymnesium parvum have been documented as a major cause of fish kills in Texas river basins. Over 17.5 x 106 fish with an estimated value of 6.5 million dollars have been killed by P. parvum. The majority of the golden alga kills occur during the winter months, with the number and magnitude increasing. In 2003 the fish kills within five river basins (19 lakes) culminated in over 6.4 x 106 fish killed with a value in excess of 2 million dollars. The Texas river basins with confirmed golden alga fish kills are Canadian, Wichita (Red), Brazos, Pecos (Rio Grande) and Colorado.