Toxic Algae Closes W Coast Shellfish Harvest: NOAA - "Appears To Be The Largest We've Seen"

[hatrack]

?1434574717
East Pacific ocean surface temperatures are much above normal on 16June2015. Northerly winds along the Pacific northwest coast caused cool nutrient rich water to well up in a very narrow coastal zone. The very warm water mixes very little with the cool upwelled water, trapping it and the toxic algal bloom along the west coast.

The west coast's shellfish industry has been shut down by an unprecedented toxic algal bloom. The toxic algae extends from California to the Canadian border. Shellfish in California, Oregon and Washington state is unsafe to eat. The proximal cause is the extraordinarily warm east Pacific ocean where abnormally high sea surface temperatures have inhibited mixing, trapping nutrient rich water and toxic algae in a narrow coastal zone.

"It appears to be the largest we've seen in terms of severity and magnitude," said Michael Milstein, spokesman with NOAA Fisheries. He said when the ocean is warm and not "mixing," algae grow and produce a toxin, which is then eaten by sardines, anchovy and other fish that feed on the algae.

NOAA will do an extensive investigation to understand the relationship between the toxic bloom and the extraordinarily warm temperatures in the northeast Pacific, but their scientists have already published many reports that link warmer waters to reduced mixing. Reduced ocean water mixing is one of the major known destructive impacts of global warming. This extreme toxic bloom was predictable based on the extremely high water temperatures.

EDIT

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/17/1394072/-Unprecedented-Toxic-Algal-Bloom-Forces-Shut-Down-of-West-Coast-Shellfish-Industry

EDIT

MBARI director Chris Scholin characterizes it as a "very large event," warning them not to eat any Monterey Bay shellfish or forage fish (such as anchovies, sardines and mackerel). The institute has reported the toxic algal bloom to the California Department of Public Health, the Marine Mammal Center, and NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In a message to posted to the Hopkins Facebook page yesterday afternoon, Scholin wrote:

"We have been following a very big bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia over the past couple of weeks here in the bay, and the amount of associated domoic acid is really extraordinary…

"Yesterday I noticed anchovies washing up on the beach in front of MBARI and [south] as far as I could see. There's also lines of fish scales (anchovy?) marking the high tide line. We picked up some of the dead fish—guts are full of Psuedo-nitzschia frustules and the fish are hot with [domoic acid]. One of the staff went snorkeling off the beach here, and saw the seafloor littered with anchovies. There's lots of birds feasting on the fish—we are seeing some dead birds amongst the fish, so I would guess some are getting hammered with [domoic acid].

"The bloom appears to be most toxic in the southern side of the bay for reasons we don't understand. Heads up to the [Monterey Bay Aquarium] for your seawater intake, and keep an eye out for seizuring sea lions, sick birds, maybe sick otters. You may also see fish washing up…

"Don't eat shellfish or forage fish from [Monterey Bay]—very nasty right now!!!"

EDIT

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/news_blog/toxic-algal-bloom-detected-in-monterey-bay-don-t-eat/article_d3850e50-055c-11e5-bc1e-4bb36b957375.html

[nruthie]

1. This is alarming.

[Ghost Dog]

2. Domoic acid (term bracketed out in op's text):

Domoic acid (DA) is a kainic acid analog neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP).[1] It is produced by algae and accumulates in shellfish, sardines, and anchovies. When sea lions, otters, cetaceans, humans etc., then eat contaminated animals poisoning may result. Exposure to the biotoxin affects the brain, causing seizures, and possibly death...

https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Domoic_acid