Dr. Barbara Hickey of the University of Washington recently presented the current status of their harmful algal bloom (HAB) modeling efforts to state, tribal, and federal agency partners with the Washington State Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) Program. HAB managers learned of recent modeling advances that may benefit regional efforts to predict and mitigate [...]
Standing on the shores of Netarts Bay in Oregon on a sunny fall morning, it’s hard to imagine that the fate of the oysters being raised here at the Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery is being determined by what came out of smokestacks and tailpipes in the 1960s and ‘70s. But this rural coastal spot and [...]
OLYMPIA – State health officials warn that a type of biotoxin never before found in Washington shellfish has been detected in shellfish from the Sequim Bay area. The discovery led to a commercial and recreational harvest closure in Sequim Bay, and people are urged not to eat shellfish from that area until further notice due [...]
Two new research projects in Puget Sound to better understand and manage outbreaks of harmful algae that threaten public health and fisheries are being funded by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. The goal of one project is to develop forecasts of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella, based on the occurrence of seed-like cysts [...]
In late October 2009, NOAA, state and university researchers in Oregon joined an ongoing regional effort to respond to a major seabird mortality and stranding event in the region. Thousands of seabirds appear to have been impacted by a widespread bloom of the algal species Akashiwo sanguinea. The species, believed to be non-toxic, produces soap-like foam that removes [...]
Sea lions are ordinarily playful mammals…but toxic blooms of algae are making these critters sick. Learn how NOAA and its partners are studying sea lions to better understand how algae can cause illness in other mammals, including humans. “Sea Lion Sickness” is just one of many exciting videos on The Ocean Today Kiosk. For full [...]
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Mercury Science Inc. of Durham, N.C., are testing a new method to rapidly detect and accurately measure domoic acid, a harmful marine algal toxin that can cause serious illness and death in humans and marine mammals. “This new test gives marine resource managers and public health [...]
Researchers at Battelle Marine Science Laboratories, sponsored through the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Coastal Hypoxia Research Program, have found that hypoxia was more common in Puget Sound before and after Euroamerican settlement than during most of the 20th century, indicating non-anthropogenic origins. Elucidating the origins of Puget Sound hypoxia is critical for developing [...]