Phytoplankton Update (June 14th – June 20th)
Although it was a slow week with the phytoplankton, things were busy with the shellfish! We joined local Fish and Game staff to collect razor clams for toxin analysis from both sides of Cook Inlet this week. Mussel samples from Homer Harbor and Kasitsna Bay are also being collected to be sent off for analysis by DEC’s Environmental Health Laboratory in Anchorage on Monday. We will be reporting on those results next week.
For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.
Phytoplankton Update (June 7th – June 13th)
We have the results in from our wild shellfish toxin testing program! The razor clams and blue mussels both came in below the regulatory limit for saxitoxins which can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning. We’ll be doing our next round of sampling in two weeks. KBNERR is not a regulatory agency and the consumption of wild shellfish in Alaska is considered ‘dig at your own risk’. Samples are analyzed for toxicity levels at DEC’s Environmental Health Laboratory in Anchorage. Commercially harvested shellfish are regulated through the DEC and are considered safe for consumption.
For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.
Phytoplankton Update (May 31st – June 6th)
Things are still pretty slow in the Inner Bay this week. Tintinnids were abundant in the sample from Halibut Cove. Tintinnids are microzooplankton that feed on phytoplankton and bacteria and are an important food source for copepods and larval fishes! The Outer Bay samples were dominated by mixed diatoms. We had our first sighting of Alexandrium sp. in the samples from Port Graham on May 31st. Seeing this species does not necessarily mean that shellfish are accumulating saxitoxins, which can lead to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, in their tissue. As always – please reach out if you have any questions.
For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.
Phytoplankton Update (May 24th – 30rd)
We saw low levels of phytoplankton in the inner bay this week. Chaetoceros spp. continues to be dominant in many areas of the outer bay with mixed diatoms dominating the Port Graham area samples. The ongoing Chaetoceros spp. bloom is dying down and we’ll have to see what species comes in to dominate next. In past years we have seen it switch over to Mixed Diatoms for a while and last year we also saw a Leptocylindrus spp. bloom. We have not seen the other species of concern at high levels. As always – please reach out if you have any questions.
For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.
Phytoplankton Update (May 17th – 23rd)
Hi all,
We are still seeing Chaetoceros spp. dominate in our samples from the greater Kachemak Bay area. This species can lead to deaths of penned salmon since they are not able to swim away from the algal bloom. Currently, a different species of phytoplankton is causing large scale die-offs of penned salmon in Norway. For more information on the current impacts that algal bloom is having on their farmed salmon fishery, be sure to check out this article
Thanks to all our monitors for sending in samples and readings this week!
For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here