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General Information

Event name: US-88-003
Country: UNITED STATES
Nature of the harmful event:
Event directly affected:
Toxicity detected: No
Associated syndrome:
Unexplained toxicity:
Species implicated in toxin transmission (transvector):
Report the outcome of a monitoring programme: No
Event occurred before in this location: Yes (Annual event in most years since Sept. 1972, usually in May/June, but may also occur later in summer and early autum. Outbreaks in Maine prior to 1972. No spring bloom in 1987 in Massachusetts.)
Individuals to contact: ANDERSON, Donald M.

Location & Date

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Location: Latitude: , Longitude:
General location information: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine
HAB Area code(s): US-01
Additional location information: In Massachusetts: North and South Shores, Southern extent - entrance to Cape Cod Canel, Nantucket Shoals; Isolated outbreaks in Eastham and Orleans on Cape Cod
Bloom event dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Quarantine levels dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Additional date-related information: May 9 to end of July

Microalgae

Causative organism known: Yes
Causative Species/Genus: Alexandrium fundyense ( cells/L)
Co-Ocurring Species/Genus:
Chlorophyll concentration, if known: µg/l
Additional bloom information:
Event-related bibliography:

Environmental Conditions

Weather: Turbidity (NTU): Wind direction:
Stratified water: Oxygen content (nL/L): Wind velocity:
Temperature (°C): Oxygen saturation %: Current Direction:
Sechhi disk (m): Salinity: Current Velocity:
Nutrient information:
Temperature Range During Event: Max: °C, Min: °C
Salinity Range During Event: Max: 31, Min: 30
Bloom location in the water column:
Growth:
Growth Comments Source -most likely Maine - cells were advected alongshore to the South into Massachusetts waters, carried by the predominately counterclockwise currents in the Gulf of Maine during Spring. In situ growth may have occurred during transport. Isolated outbr
Additional Environmental information: Temperature- 6-7ºC at bloom initiation; 9-llºC 1 month later in offshore bloom. Stratification - yes, cell preferred a, = .24.5. Salinity front along coast. Cell numbers - 1,000 - 5,000 cells/liter Nutrients -

Toxin Assay Information

Species containing the toxin Toxin type Toxin details Max. concentration Assay type
Kit used: Type of kit used:
Additional information:
Economic losses:
Management decision: Shellfish bed closures in three states (>80µg toxin/100 grams shellfish)
Additional harmful effect information: 1) Closure of Shellfish Beds - Mya arenaria, Mytilis edulis and other species in Maine, N.H. & Massachusetts. 2) Toxin detected in offshore mussels on Nantucket Shoals. 3) No known human or marine mammal illnesses.