With a toss of his net, John Goodall pulled up 14 perky-looking tiny fish called menhaden. All but one had ugly red-brown sores across their silvery skin. Bacteria were literally eating the fish alive. "It's just horrific," said Goodall.
In recent weeks an outbreak of deadly bacteria has killed thousands of fish in Chesapeake Bay. The bacteria have also made 28 people sick with rashes and breathing problems.
To keep people away from the harmful water, Maryland has closed parts of three rivers and creeks that flow into the bay.
The culprit seems to be a germ called Pfiesteria (fis-tear-ee-ah). Scientists say something has made the germs poisonous. The main suspect: chicken waste.
The Chesapeake Bay area is home to 600 million chickens. Chicken manure is used to fertilize farmlands near the affected waterways. Environmentalists say the manure may be turning Pfiesteria toxic. They want to limit the use of manure.
Chicken farmers complain that they are being blamed unfairly. But Maryland's seafood industry is suffering too. It has already lost millions of dollars because of the poisoning scare.