Gulf of Alaska | Lower Trophic Levels
Building capacity in Alaska to monitor Alexandrium catenella cyst abundance and distribution Presenter: Julie Matweyou , jamatweyou@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Courtney Hart , chart16@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Fairbanks Julie Masura , jmasura@uw.edu, University of Washington Tacoma Cheryl Greengrove , cgreen@uw.edu, University of Washington Tacoma Steve Kibler , steve.kibler@noaa.gov, NOAA Beaufort Labortory Mark Vandersea , mark.w.vandersea@noaa.gov, NOAA Beaufort Laboratory Tyler Harman , tyler.harman@noaa.gov, NOAA Beaufort Laboratory
Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a long-standing problem in Alaska and have potential to affect human and ecosystem health as well as negatively impact the economic viability of commercial shellfish operations. The toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella produces PSTs along the temperate Pacific and Atlantic coastlines of the U.S and Canada. A. catenella cells proliferate in the water column in the spring and summer, and overwinter as benthic resting cysts in the sediment. Determining the abundance and distribution of over-wintering cysts can aid in predicting the location and severity of seasonal A. catenella blooms. This project partners researchers from the Atlantic, Pacific Northwest and Alaska coasts to build on current enumeration protocols and develop new technologies to improve the capacity and speed of harmful algal bloom forecasting tools. As part of this collaborative MERHAB-funded project, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is building capacity in Alaska to monitor A. catenella cysts in Southwest and Southeast regions. One goal of the project was to establish sediment sampling and cyst enumeration by fluorescent microscopy at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center in order to augment existing phytoplankton and toxin monitoring in the region. Additionally, project partners in Southeast Alaska (SE) are mapping sediment-cyst concentrations to better understand spatial PST trends in relation to wild geoduck harvest. Three seasons of cyst abundance data were collected in the both the Kodiak and SE regions. The maps presented demonstrate a short but important snapshot into changing cyst densities in both regions. Moreover, establishing the capacity to determine cyst concentrations using microscopic counts is a necessary step in developing molecular methods which will expedite our ability to forecast toxicity events in Alaskan shellfish.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 142
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