Black wind

in arms, and we, of course, are concerned about potential damage to the coral reef.”
    “Have you been able to diagnose what is killing the fish?” Stenseth asked.
    “Not yet. Toxic poisoning is all we can infer. We have sent samples to our departmental lab in Cebu for analysis but are still awaiting the results.” The look on Biazon’s face revealed his dissatisfaction with the snail-paced response from the agency lab.
    “Any speculation as to the source?” Pitt asked.
    Biazon shook his head. “We initially suspected industrial pollutants, which, regrettably, are an all too common source of environmental damage in my country. But my field team and I have scoured the impacted coastal region and failed to locate any heavy industrial businesses operating in the area. We also examined the coastline for obvious spillways or illegal dump sites but came up empty. It is my belief that the source of the kill originates at sea.”
    “Perhaps a red tide?” Giordino said.
    “We do experience toxic phytoplankton outbreaks in the Philippines,” Biazon said, “though they are typically seen during the warmer late summer months.”
    “It might also be some covert offshore industrial dumping,” Pitt replied. “Where exactly is the impacted area, Dr. Biazon?”
    Biazon glanced at the map, which showed Mindanao and the southern Philippine island groupings. “Off the province of Bohol,” he said, pointing to a large round island north of Mindanao. “Panglao is a small resort island located here, adjacent to the southwest coast. Its about fifty kilometers from our present position.”
    “I can have us there in under two hours,” Stenseth said, eyeing the distance.
    Pitt nodded toward the map. “We’ve got a ship full of scientists who can help find the answers. Bill, lay a course in to Panglao Island and we’ll take a look.”
    “Thank you,” a visibly relieved Biazon said.
    “Doctor, perhaps you’d like a tour of the ship while we get under way?” Pitt offered.
    “I’d like that very much.”
    “Al, you care to join us?”
    Giordino looked at his watch pensively. “No, thanks. Two hours will be just enough time for me to finish my project,” he replied, easing himself back down on the bench seat and drifting rapidly back to sleep.
    The Mariana Explorer cruised easily through a flat sea and arrived at Panglao Island in just over ninety minutes. Pitt studied an electronic navigational map of the area that was displayed on a color monitor as Biazon denoted a rectangular area where the fish kill was occurring.
    “Bill, the current runs east to west through here, which would suggest that the hot zone is located at the eastern end of Dr. Biazon’s box. Why don’t we start to the west and work our way east into the current, taking water samples at quarter-mile increments.”
    Stenseth nodded. “I’ll run a zigzag course, to see if we can gauge how far from shore the toxin is concentrated.”
    “And let’s deploy the side-scan sonar. Might as well see if there’s any obvious man-made objects involved.”
    Dr. Biazon watched with interest as a towed sonar fish was deployed off the stern, then the Mariana Explorer began following a dot-to-dot path laid out on the navigation screen. At periodic intervals, a team of marine biologists collected seawater samples from varying depths. As the ship moved to the next position, the collected samples were sent down to the shipboard laboratory for immediate analysis.
    On the bridge, Giordino tracked the signals from the side-scan sonar. The electronic image of the shallow seafloor revealed an interweaving mix of flat sand bottom and craggy coral mounts as the ship sailed over the fringes of a coral reef. In a short time, his trained eyes had already discerned a ship’s anchor and an outboard motor | lying beneath the well-traveled waters. As the monitor revealed each object, Giordino reached over and punched a mark button on the con| sole, which flagged the location for later assessment.
    Pitt and Biazon stood nearby, admiring the tropical beaches of Panglao Island less than a half mile away. Pitt glanced down at the water alongside the ship, where he spotted a sea turtle and scores of dead fish floating belly-up.
    “We’ve entered the toxic zone,” Pitt said. “We should know the results shortly.”
    As the research vessel plowed west, the concentration of dead fish in the water increased, then gradually fell away until the blue sea around them grew empty