KBNERR Harmful Algal Bloom Updates

We have a lot to report out on this week. We are saddened to share that the Alaska Department of Health and Social Science (DHSS) has issued a Public Service Announcement due to a recent death in Alaska from Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning. The full announcement is attached to the weekly email. Please take a few minutes to read this announcement, it includes important information from DHSS and resources regarding the harvest of wild shellfish in Alaska. As always you can contact us with questions as well, and Rosie has set up virtual office hours this Friday, July 17th, 9 to noon to take questions over the phone. KBNERR’s office is still not open for in person visitors, so please reach out via phone: 907-235-1598 or email: jrmaurer@alaska.edu or rmmasui@alaska.edu

We also have results to share from our wild shellfish toxin testing program. The wild blue mussels came in well below the regulatory limit; however, the toxin level in the butter clams was near the limit considered safe for consumption. We will continue to monitor wild shellfish and report out results as they become available to us.

For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.

This week we started seeing a relative increase in the number of dinoflagellates in the samples. Dinoflagellates are a group of phytoplankton that use flagella, long whip like structures, to move around. Alexandrium sp. and Dinophysis sp. are both dinoflagellates. Chaetoceros sp. are at bloom levels again in Eldred Passage and Tutka Bay. Overall, the samples this week have abundant phytoplankton from a diverse number of species.

For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.

Happy Fourth of July! And what a positive weather forecast we have for the long weekend ahead of us. This week we are seeing a decline in the number of Chaetoceros sp. in the samples although Chaetoceros sp. remain the most dominant phytoplankton in many areas. This is a common occurrence as we enter July, and as always we are curious to see which species dominate in the weeks ahead.

You may also notice the that many of our samples have species of concern, Dinophysis, Pseudo-nitzschia, or Alexandrium, “present”. Present means we saw at least one cell of a species of concern in the sample. We keep close track of the species of concern and will include additional information in our updates should we observe concentrations of a species of concern that reach abundant or bloom levels. 

For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.

This week we have wild razor clam toxin testing results to report. Toxin levels were below the regulatory limit considered safe for consumption. Commercially harvested shellfish are regulated by DEC and considered safe for consumption.

This week Chaetoceros sp. dominated in the Inner and Outer Bay. The Inner Bay phytoplankton samples in the years 2009-2013 also had Chaetoceros sp. dominating for many weeks during this same time period May – June. In the Outer Bay the same seasonal trend of Chaetoceros sp. dominating among the phytoplankton was seen in the years 2014, 2017, & 2018.

For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.

We have wild shellfish toxin testing results to report again this week. Toxin levels were below the regulatory limit considered safe for consumption in the blue mussels from Homer Harbor we submitted for testing. Commercially harvested shellfish are regulated by DEC and considered safe for consumption.

KBNERR website is up and running again, with resources covering HAB species in detail, past weekly updates and links to the KBNERR YouTube channel which has additional resources for monitors. This week in the Inner and Outer Bay Chaetoceros sp. continue to dominate reaching bloom levels in many areas

For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.

We have results back from our first round of wild shellfish toxin testing this summer. Toxin levels were below the regulatory limit considered safe for consumption for both samples we submitted for testing.

Commercially harvested shellfish are regulated by DEC and considered safe for consumption.

Phytoplankton samples throughout Kachemak Bay over the past two weeks have been dominated by Chaetoceros sp. In Outer Kachemak Bay several of the sub-bays are experiencing Chaetoceros sp. blooms this week. Chaetoceros sp. do not produce toxins, however, they do have long spines on each cell and form straight or curly chains. The spines on Chaetoceros cells can get caught in fish gills and cause irritation. This can be fatal if fish aren’t able to swim away from areas with high densities of Chaetoceros sp., such as when fish are held in net pens. For this reason, phytoplankton monitoring is one tool used by hatcheries to optimize smolt health and inform the timing of release for stocked runs.

For more information on this Phytoplankton Update and the Qualitative Analysis of Phytoplankton Data, click here.