Fishing News
Scientists differ over role
By Dan Whipple
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (June 20, 2026 10:20 p.m. EDT) - The microscopic marine creature Pfiesteria piscicida - also known as "the cell from hell" - may have been mistakenly identified as the culprit in recent fish kills in eastern U.S. coastal waters, though microbiologists who study the organism strongly disagree about the meaning of the latest research.
Pfiesteria is a marine dinoflagellate - a single-celled creature propelled by a long, whip-like tail. It might be considered the chameleon of marine organisms because it can take on many forms. In some of its guises, Pfiesteria is believed to produce a poison that kills fish by attacking their skin. Earlier work with the creature indicated it went through a 24-stage life cycle, producing toxins in some of the stages.
University of North Carolina microbiologist Wayne Litaker told United Press International that Pfiesteria may have been misidentified as the fish killer. Litaker said his group used molecular probes - a relatively new research technique available only since about 1998 - to examine the creature's life cycle.
"The original life cycle was described as having 24 (amoeba-like) cycles," he said. "This had never been seen in a marine dinoflagellate. We decided we would investigate some more."
What he found, Litaker said, was a fairly typical seven-stage life cycle - not a 24 stage one - and in none of those stages did the Pfiesteria strain he studied produce any toxins.
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