Gulf of Alaska | Lower Trophic Levels
Interlaboratory validation of a rapid saxitoxin assay for three species of shellfish commonly consumed in Alaska Presenter: Kendall Mashburn , klmashburn@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Fairbanks Raven Cunningham , raven@crrcalaska.org
Annette Jarosz , annette@alutiiqprideak.org, Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute Allison Carl , acarl@crrcalaska.org, Chugach Regional Resources Commision Emily Mailman , emily@alutiiqprideak.org, Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute Dustin Carl , dustin@crrcalaska.org, Chugach Regional Resources Commision Shannon Atkinson , shannon.atkinson@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Several species of shellfish are commonly harvested-for-consumption animals that inhabit Alaskan coastal waters including blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis ) (BM), cockle ( Clinocardium nuttalli ) (CK) and the softshell clam ( Mya arenaria ) (SSC). All three of these species are susceptible to harmful algal bloom (HABs) exposures and tend to accumulate paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in tissues that are consumed by humans and other animals. Among the most prevalent PSTs is saxitoxin (STX), commonly produced by dinoflagellates of Alexandrium spp ., which has been identified as a causal agent of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). As Alaska currently has no State-wide testing and monitoring program for STX from recreation or subsistence collected shellfish, it is important that multiple laboratories in different locations be capable of delivering comparable data from the most commonly harvested species consumed by non-commercial users. This will increase both the access to local testing by harvesters and can provide the data necessary to create accurate mapping of STX presence across the state and potential hotspots that harvesters should avoid. The Chugach Regional Resources Commission (CRRC), which operates Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute (APMI) in Seward, represents a Tribal consortium comprised of the seven Tribes in the Prince William Sound, Lower Cook Inlet, and Lower Copper River regions of Alaska. APMI, as part of its Chugach Regional Ocean Monitoring program and in collaboration with the University of Alaska College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (UAF-CFOS) in Juneau, has validated a commercially available enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Eurofins Abraxis) for detection of STX in BM, CK, and SSC. Utilizing extractions from species collected in Seward, both APMI and UAF-CFOS Juneau laboratories produced nearly identical parallel displacement, a high degree of accuracy and precision, as well as extraction recoveries that were not statistically different from both labs in all three species. This indicates that both labs can produce comparable data in two geographically distinct locations in the state, increasing accessibility to real-time data regarding the STX concentrations of locally harvested BM, CK, and SSC.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 135
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