Bloom announcement: first reports of dog mortalities associated with neurotoxic filamentous cyanobacterial mats at recreational sites in Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas

摘要

Mass canine deaths were first reported to City staff on August 3, 2019 after swimming and presumably ingesting toxin-producing cyanobacteria documented in Lady Bird Lake, Austin, Texas. Floating metaphyton mats were abundant and appeared to originate from benthic spires that concentrated near Red Bud Isle and Auditorium Shores, popular recreational destinations for the community ( Fig. 1 ). There was up to 75% surface water coverage on the west side of Red Bud Isle, likely due to low hydrologic flow ( Fig. 2 ). At Auditorium Shores, mats clustered along shorelines, increasing the likelihood for canine interactions. The mats persisted until November 12, 2019, at which point cooler temperatures and increased flows resulted in senescence.