For people who eat fish/shellfish.....
...this is extremely important to pay attention to.
Toxic algae bloom off West Coast might be largest ever
Unusually large bloom has already triggered 1 shellfish closure off Vancouver Island
By Victoria Cavaliere, Thomson Reuters Posted: Jun 17, 2015
A toxic algae bloom in the Pacific Ocean stretching from California north to B.C. might be the largest ever detected off the West Coast, according to scientists in California.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is also monitoring the unusually large bloom, which has already resulted in the closure of one fisheries area off Vancouver Island just north of Tahsis.
But DFO scientist Ian Perry said most areas are not at levels that would raise health concerns.
DFO Pacific Region: full list of shellfish closures
The bloom, which first appeared in May, involves microscopic algae that produce a neurotoxin potentially fatal to humans called domoic acid, according to researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Levels of domoic acid in California's Monterey Bay are some of the highest scientists have ever observed, Raphael Kudela, professor of ocean sciences at the Santa Cruz campus, said in a statement.
"The domoic acid levels are extremely high right now in Monterey Bay, and the event is occurring as far north as Washington state," he said.
"It appears this will be one of the most toxic and spatially largest events we've had in at least a decade."
Health concerns over seafood
Researchers are concerned that shellfish and other marine life, including razor clams, crabs, hake and West Coast sardines, could have elevated levels of domoic acid, a neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning, also known as ASP.
Unlike the more common PSP syndrome, which is resposible for shellfish closures off the coast of B.C. in the summer months, ASP also affects fish, which can then poison humans and other mammals that eat the affected fish.
The acid has been responsible for several deaths and has sickened more than 100 people, according to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Fish and shellfish can accumulate the toxin without ill effect, the agency said, but in humans it crosses into the brain and interferes with nerve signal transmission.
Earlier this month, Washington authorities closed crab fishing from the border with Oregon through southern Washington because of elevated marine toxin levels, the agency said in a statement.
This week, a team of scientists set out from Oregon in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel to study the bloom, the agency said on Tuesday.
Scientists will try to determine whether the massive size of the bloom is linked to this year's warmer-than-average water conditions from Washington to Southern California, the agency said.
The ship will sample water from the Mexican border to Vancouver Island, the Seattle Times reported.
© Thomson Reuters, 2015
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ff-west-coast-might-be-largest-ever-1.3116914
Red tide threatening Oregon fisheries
Excerpt: "The bloom, Milstein said, “is affecting a huge area between Monterey Bay, Calif., all the way up to Homer, Alaska. It’s a severe bloom to be this far north this time of the year.” "
Link to Article: http://www.newportnewstimes.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=48573&page=86
Toxic algae bloom might be largest ever
Excerpt:
“By collecting data over the full West Coast with one ship, we will have a much better idea of where the bloom is, what is causing it, and why this year,” University of California, Santa Cruz ocean scientist Raphael Kudela said in an email.
He and his colleagues found domoic-acid concentrations in California anchovies this year as high as any ever measured. “We haven’t seen a bloom that is this toxic in 15 years,” he wrote. “This is possibly the largest event spatially that we’ve ever recorded.”
On Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula, Ayres recently spotted a sea lion wracked by seizures typical of domoic-acid poisoning. The animal arched its neck repeatedly, then collapsed into a fetal position and quivered. “Clearly something neurological was going on,” he said.
Wildlife officials euthanized the creature and collected fecal samples that confirmed it had eaten prey — probably small fish — that in turn had fed on the toxic algae.
Link to Article: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/toxic-algae-bloom-might-be-largest-ever/
‘Dangerous’ Domoic Acid Levels Prompt Seafood Warning in California
By News Desk | June 3, 2015
Excerpt:
"Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.
In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death."
Link to Article: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/...-levels-prompt-seafood-warning-in-california/
...this is extremely important to pay attention to.
Toxic algae bloom off West Coast might be largest ever
Unusually large bloom has already triggered 1 shellfish closure off Vancouver Island
By Victoria Cavaliere, Thomson Reuters Posted: Jun 17, 2015
A toxic algae bloom in the Pacific Ocean stretching from California north to B.C. might be the largest ever detected off the West Coast, according to scientists in California.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada is also monitoring the unusually large bloom, which has already resulted in the closure of one fisheries area off Vancouver Island just north of Tahsis.
But DFO scientist Ian Perry said most areas are not at levels that would raise health concerns.
DFO Pacific Region: full list of shellfish closures
The bloom, which first appeared in May, involves microscopic algae that produce a neurotoxin potentially fatal to humans called domoic acid, according to researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Levels of domoic acid in California's Monterey Bay are some of the highest scientists have ever observed, Raphael Kudela, professor of ocean sciences at the Santa Cruz campus, said in a statement.
"The domoic acid levels are extremely high right now in Monterey Bay, and the event is occurring as far north as Washington state," he said.
"It appears this will be one of the most toxic and spatially largest events we've had in at least a decade."
Health concerns over seafood
Researchers are concerned that shellfish and other marine life, including razor clams, crabs, hake and West Coast sardines, could have elevated levels of domoic acid, a neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning, also known as ASP.
Unlike the more common PSP syndrome, which is resposible for shellfish closures off the coast of B.C. in the summer months, ASP also affects fish, which can then poison humans and other mammals that eat the affected fish.
The acid has been responsible for several deaths and has sickened more than 100 people, according to the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Fish and shellfish can accumulate the toxin without ill effect, the agency said, but in humans it crosses into the brain and interferes with nerve signal transmission.
Earlier this month, Washington authorities closed crab fishing from the border with Oregon through southern Washington because of elevated marine toxin levels, the agency said in a statement.
This week, a team of scientists set out from Oregon in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel to study the bloom, the agency said on Tuesday.
Scientists will try to determine whether the massive size of the bloom is linked to this year's warmer-than-average water conditions from Washington to Southern California, the agency said.
The ship will sample water from the Mexican border to Vancouver Island, the Seattle Times reported.
© Thomson Reuters, 2015
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ff-west-coast-might-be-largest-ever-1.3116914
Red tide threatening Oregon fisheries
Excerpt: "The bloom, Milstein said, “is affecting a huge area between Monterey Bay, Calif., all the way up to Homer, Alaska. It’s a severe bloom to be this far north this time of the year.” "
Link to Article: http://www.newportnewstimes.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=48573&page=86
Toxic algae bloom might be largest ever
Excerpt:
“By collecting data over the full West Coast with one ship, we will have a much better idea of where the bloom is, what is causing it, and why this year,” University of California, Santa Cruz ocean scientist Raphael Kudela said in an email.
He and his colleagues found domoic-acid concentrations in California anchovies this year as high as any ever measured. “We haven’t seen a bloom that is this toxic in 15 years,” he wrote. “This is possibly the largest event spatially that we’ve ever recorded.”
On Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula, Ayres recently spotted a sea lion wracked by seizures typical of domoic-acid poisoning. The animal arched its neck repeatedly, then collapsed into a fetal position and quivered. “Clearly something neurological was going on,” he said.
Wildlife officials euthanized the creature and collected fecal samples that confirmed it had eaten prey — probably small fish — that in turn had fed on the toxic algae.
Link to Article: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/toxic-algae-bloom-might-be-largest-ever/
‘Dangerous’ Domoic Acid Levels Prompt Seafood Warning in California
By News Desk | June 3, 2015
Excerpt:
"Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.
In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death."
Link to Article: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/...-levels-prompt-seafood-warning-in-california/
