Sixteen people were poisoned by eating southern puffer fish caught in Titusville and near the Pineda Causeway. There are several species of puffer fish, also known as blowfish or toadfish, and the southern puffer fish was not known to be poisonous when cleaned properly. The toxin found in the fish is known as saxitioxin, it attacks the nervous system causing numbness and tingling in the lips and later paralysis and possibly death if untreated. Properly cooking and cleaning puffer fish will protect the consumer from some types of toxins but not from saxitoxin. Scientists have found puffer fish remains in two of 35 dolphins that died in the lagoon in summer 2001. Saxitoxin is seldom found in Florida waters and dolphins rarely eat puffer fish. Fisherman reported that for the first time in recent memory, dolphin in the Lagoon last summer were trying to bite fish off their lines. Last summer low oxygen levels in the lagoon caused numerous fish kills, particularly in shallow water areas in central Brevard (See Marker Fall 2001). Fish responded by moving away from those areas where dolphin often feed. This may explain why at least two of the dolphin that died tried eating puffer fish. Where the saxitoxin came from is still a mystery. The Florida Marine Research Institute and the US Food and Drug Administration are testing samples of puffer fish, shellfish, water and soil samples to determine the source of the saxitoxin. It is known to be produced by bacteria that is found in toxic Dinoflagellate algae and some freshwater blue-#006600 algae. A member of the family of toxic dinoflagellates known to harbor the toxin-producing bacteria is Gonyaulax monilata. Gonyaulax monilata is sometimes found in Florida waters and has been linked to red tide, manatee deaths and fish kills in the past. So far it has not been found. There is also possible that another algae harboring the bacteria was introduced and has not yet been identified. Usually saxitoxin poisioning in humans is caused by eating shellfish taken from waters with the toxic algae such as Asia and in the northeast US. The saxitoxin builds up in mollusks, clams, mussels and scallops that puffers eat. Until recently only the checkered bandtail puffers were known to be toxic in the Lagoon, the others could be eaten if cleaned properly. The State of Florida has banned fishermen from keeping any puffer fish caught in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River and St Lucie Counties until July 24th. Recreational fishermen keep about 50,000 of the 500,000 puffer fish caught on Florida’s east Coast each year, according to Florida Marine Research Institute estimates. Commercial fishermen sell about 15,000 pounds of puffer fish each year on the State’s West coast but less than a hundred pounds on the East Coast.