DATE: Thursday, September 11, 1997          TAG: 9709110670

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: ANNAPOLIS, MD.                    LENGTH:   47 lines

PFIESTERIA-TYPE LESIONS SHOW UP IN SECOND MARYLAND RIVER SYSTEM

Fish with pfiesteria-type lesions showed up in a second Eastern Shore river system Wednesday, and state officials quickly closed King's Creek for fishing and boating.

Gov. Parris Glendening said he was very disturbed by the news because this is the first time fish with lesions have been found outside the Pocomoke River and Pocomoke Sound on the Maryland-Virginia border.

``This is a different watershed. It therefore suggests that this is a broader-based problem'' than officials had hoped, the governor said.

The finding of fish with lesions in King's Creek, which flows into the Manokin River, indicated that the problem is not caused by an isolated source of pollution, Glendening said.

King's Creek branches off the Manokin and runs roughly east to west between Princess Anne and Westover in Somerset County.

Glendening said there was no active fish kill on the creek by late Wednesday afternoon and no sign of problems in the Manokin River.

The state Department of Natural Resources was alerted to the problem by calls to a 24-hour hot line set up for that purpose. Glendening said a team was quickly sent to the river to check on the condition of fish.

``We have confirmed that a large percentage of the fish are under stress with pfiesteria-type lesions,'' he said.

Glendening also said he wanted to emphasize that ``we have no evidence whatsoever of any problem in the Bay or any of the major tributaries.

``The Bay is safe. Seafood is safe.

``But in smaller creeks, it does appear we have an extended problem,'' Glendening said.

The Manokin River and the Nanticoke River have been considered potential trouble spots by state officials because they are similar to the Pocomoke.

Both river systems have similar salinity and acidity levels to the Pocomoke and both flow through areas with large farming and poultry businesses.

Last month, Glendening closed a seven-mile stretch of the Pocomoke from the mouth of the river, and Virginia officials closed their portion of the river after thousands of fish were found dead.

Glendening said state crews will be working into the night to determine the extent of the problem in King's Creek.

``We have almost all-day work schedules tomorrow, and we hope to have some additional actions ready to announce tomorrow,'' he said.

He would not discuss what other actions might be taken.

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