Health experts have raised concerns after Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that can kill within 48 hours, was detected in New York coastal waters. Stony Brook University professor Dr. Christopher Gobler, an ecologist in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, found evidence of the bacteria in several bodies of water on Long Island, including “hotspots” in Sagaponack Pond, Mecox Bay and Georgica Pond on the South Fork. Gobler warned that there are also locations where waters fail to meet state and federal standards due to harmful algal blooms. The bacteria is poisoning shellfish and some shellfishing areas have been closed. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Vibio is responsible for about 80,000 illnesses in the United States per year.