Enhancing Shellfish Safety in Alaska through Monitoring of Harmful Algae and Their Toxins

Trainer, Vera L.; Sullivan, Kate; Eberhart, Bich-Thuy L.; Shuler, Andrew; Hignutt, Emanuel; Kiser, John B.; Eckert, Ginny L.; Shumway, Sandra E.; Morton, Steve L.

doi:10.2983/035.033.0222

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Upon notification of a potential bloom, the LHJ or other agency staff (or lake resident) will: (1) obtain a sample number from the state Freshwater Algae website [ 8 ], (2) sample the water body experiencing the bloom, then (3) send the sample to the laboratory for toxicity tests. Sampling and shipping directions are available at the website [ 8 ] or from Ecology’s Freshwater Algae Control Program [ 101 ].…”

Section: Washington Lakes: Three-tiered Approach To Managing Lakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative Monitoring of Marine and Freshwater Harmful Algae in Washington State for Public Health Protection

Trainer

Hardy

2015

Toxins

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The more frequent occurrence of both marine and freshwater toxic algal blooms and recent problems with new toxic events have increased the risk for illness and negatively impacted sustainable public access to safe shellfish and recreational waters in Washington State. Marine toxins that affect safe shellfish harvest in the state are the saxitoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), domoic acid that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) and the first ever US closure in 2011 due to diarrhetic shellfish toxins that cause diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Likewise, the freshwater toxins microcystins, anatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsins, and saxitoxins have been measured in state lakes, although cylindrospermopsins have not yet been measured above state regulatory guidance levels. This increased incidence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) has necessitated the partnering of state regulatory programs with citizen and user-fee sponsored monitoring efforts such as SoundToxins, the Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) partnership and the state’s freshwater harmful algal bloom passive (opportunistic) surveillance program that allow citizens to share their observations with scientists. Through such integrated programs that provide an effective interface between formalized state and federal programs and observations by the general public, county staff and trained citizen volunteers, the best possible early warning systems can be instituted for surveillance of known HABs, as well as for the reporting and diagnosis of unusual events that may impact the future health of oceans, lakes, wildlife, and humans.

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Section: Washington Lakes: Three-tiered Approach To Managing Lakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative Monitoring of Marine and Freshwater Harmful Algae in Washington State for Public Health Protection

Trainer

Hardy

2015

Toxins

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“…At sufficient concentrations PSTs can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Saxitoxin was in fact named after the Alaskan butter clam ( Saxidomus gigantea ) from which it was first isolated [ 8 ]. The earliest documented outbreak of PSP occurred in Alaska in 1799 [ 9 ], and since then dozens of outbreaks have been reported in Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington resulting in hospitalizations and deaths [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) Partnership: Addressing Data Gaps in Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Shellfish Safety in Southeast Alaska

Harley

Lanphier

Kennedy

et al. 2020

Toxins

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Many communities in Southeast Alaska harvest shellfish such as mussels and clams as an important part of a subsistence or traditional diet. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) of phytoplankton such as Alexandrium spp. produce toxins that can accumulate in shellfish tissues to concentrations that can pose a hazard for human health. Since 2013, several tribal governments and communities have pooled resources to form the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) network, with the goal of minimizing risks to seafood harvest and enhancing food security. SEATOR monitors toxin concentrations in shellfish and collects and consolidates data on environmental variables that may be important predictors of toxin levels such as sea surface temperature and salinity. Data from SEATOR are publicly available and are encouraged to be used for the development and testing of predictive algorithms that could improve seafood risk assessment in Southeast Alaska. To date, more than 1700 shellfish samples have been analyzed for paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in more than 20 locations, with potentially lethal concentrations observed in blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) and butter clams (Saxidomus gigantea). Concentrations of PSTs exhibit seasonality in some species, and observations of Alexandrium are correlated to sea surface temperature and salinity; however, concentrations above the threshold of concern have been found in all months, and substantial variation in concentrations of PSTs remain unexplained.

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“…Domoic acid was first detected in low levels in razor clams in Kachemak Bay in July 1992 (RaLonde and Wright, 2011). Dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium produce toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and have been well documented in Alaskan waters (Gessner and Middaugh, 1995;Gessner et al, 1997;Gessner and Schloss, 1996;Lewitus et al, 2012;Trainer et al, 2014). Saxitoxin (STX) is the most potent of the PSP causing toxins.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of algal toxins in Alaskan marine mammals foraging in a changing arctic and subarctic environment

et al. 2016

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Current climate trends resulting in rapid declines in sea ice and increasing water temperatures are likely to expand the northern geographic range and duration of favorable conditions for harmful algal blooms (HABs), making algal toxins a growing concern in Alaskan marine food webs. Two of the most common HAB toxins along the west coast of North America are the neurotoxins domoic acid (DA) and saxitoxin (STX). Over the last 20 years, DA toxicosis has caused significant illness and mortality in marine mammals along the west coast of the USA, but has not been reported to impact marine mammals foraging in Alaskan waters. Saxitoxin, the most potent of the paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins, has been well-documented in shellfish in the Aleutians and Gulf of Alaska for decades and associated with human illnesses and deaths due to consumption of toxic clams. There is little information regarding exposure of Alaskan marine mammals. Here, the spatial patterns and prevalence of DA and STX exposure in Alaskan marine mammals are documented in order to assess health risks to northern populations including those species that are important to the nutritional, cultural, and economic well-being of Alaskan coastal communities. In this study, 905 marine mammals from 13 species were sampled including; humpback whales, bowhead whales, beluga whales, harbor porpoises, northern fur seals, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, ringed seals, bearded seals, spotted seals, ribbon seals, Pacific walruses, and northern sea otters. Domoic acid was detected in all 13 species examined and had the greatest prevalence in bowhead whales (68%) and harbor seals (67%). Saxitoxin was detected in 10 of the 13 species, with the highest prevalence in humpback whales (50%) and bowhead whales (32%). Pacific walruses contained the highest concentrations of both STX and DA, with DA concentrations similar to those detected in California sea lions exhibiting clinical signs of DA toxicosis (seizures) off the coast of Central California, USA. Forty-six individual marine mammals contained detectable concentrations of both toxins emphasizing the potential for combined exposure risks. Additionally, fetuses from a beluga whale, a harbor porpoise and a Steller sea lion contained detectable concentrations of DA documenting maternal toxin transfer in these species. These results provide evidence that HAB toxins are present throughout Alaska waters at levels high enough to be detected in marine mammals and have the potential to impact marine mammal health in the Arctic marine environment.

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Enhancing Shellfish Safety in Alaska through Monitoring of Harmful Algae and Their Toxins

Cited by 19 publications

References 13 publications

Integrative Monitoring of Marine and Freshwater Harmful Algae in Washington State for Public Health Protection

Integrative Monitoring of Marine and Freshwater Harmful Algae in Washington State for Public Health Protection

The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) Partnership: Addressing Data Gaps in Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Shellfish Safety in Southeast Alaska

Prevalence of algal toxins in Alaskan marine mammals foraging in a changing arctic and subarctic environment

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