General Information

Event name: ES-02-007
Country: SPAIN
Nature of the harmful event:
Seafood toxins
Event directly affected:
Toxicity detected: Yes (Approximate range: 1.2 - 41.5 µg DA / g)
Associated syndrome: ASP
Unexplained toxicity: No
Species implicated in toxin transmission (transvector):
Report the outcome of a monitoring programme: Yes (Monitoring Programme of the Centro de Control do Medio Mariño.)
Event occurred before in this location: Yes (Detected annually from 1995; generally with a periodicity of two events a year: at the beginning - middle of spring and autumn.)
Individuals to contact: MANEIRO, Juan , PAZOS, Yolanda , MOROÑO, Ángeles

Location & Date

[View larger map]
Location: Latitude: 43.392833, Longitude: -8.285167
General location information: Ría de Ares-Betanzos., Galicia, NW Spain.
HAB Area code(s): ES-05
Additional location information: 43º 22.33' - 43º 23.57' N; 08º 14.57' - 08º 17.11' W. The affected area is dedicated to intensive mussel cultivation in rafts an to a high production of other molluscs in natural banks: clams, cockles, oyster and scallops are the main species exploited.
Bloom event dates (yyyy/mm/dd): Event Date:2002-04-22
Start: 2002-04-18, End: 2002-04-22
Quarantine levels dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Additional date-related information:

Microalgae

Causative organism known: Yes
Causative Species/Genus: Pseudo-nitzschia australis (200,100 cells/L)
43º 23.57' N; 08º 17.11' W (St. L3) on 22/04/02
Co-Ocurring Species/Genus: Prorocentrum micans (41,760 cells/L)
43º 23.57' N; 08º 17.11' W (St. L3) on 22/04/02
Dictyocha speculum (34,800 cells/L)
Chaetoceros socialis (33,060 cells/L)
Chlorophyll concentration, if known: 2.46 µg/L Chlª. µg/l
Additional bloom information:
Event-related bibliography:

Environmental Conditions

Weather: Turbidity (NTU): Wind direction: WNW
Stratified water: Yes Oxygen content (nL/L): Wind velocity:
Temperature (°C): 14.03 - 16.3 Oxygen saturation %: Current Direction:
Sechhi disk (m): Salinity: 30.3 - 35. Current Velocity: 0
Nutrient information: AMONIUM: 0.47 mg/L
NITRATE: 0.58 mg/L
NITRITE: 0.16 mg/L
PHOSPHATE: 0.25 mg/L
SILICATE: 0.59 mg/L
Temperature Range During Event: Max: 15 °C, Min: 13 °C
Salinity Range During Event: Max: 35, Min: 34
Bloom location in the water column:
Growth:
In situ
Growth Comments
Additional Environmental information: Wind velocity: 29 Km/h.

Toxin Assay Information

Species containing the toxin Toxin type Toxin details Max. concentration Assay type
Raft cultured mussel (Mytilus galloprovincial Domoic Acid DA eq 20.9 µg/g LC
Wild mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) Domoic Acid DA eq 41.5 µg/g LC
Cockles (Cerastoderma edule) Domoic Acid DA eq 24.2 µg/g LC
Kit used: No Type of kit used:
Additional information: AOAC official method 1998 991.26, Domoic Acid in Mussels. Liquid Chromatographic Method.
Economic losses: Not evaluated.
Management decision: Harvesting was closed in culture areas when domoic acid concentrations was greater than 20 ppm.
Additional harmful effect information: Irrelevant effects, because the closures caused by this event were brief (two weeks maximum). Closures due to the presence of toxicity in molluscs is usual in the area and resource exploitation strategies allows to face these closures without great proble
IOC/UNESCO ISSHA
IOC/UNESCO ICES PICES