General Information

Event name: US-87-004
Country: UNITED STATES
Nature of the harmful event:
Water Discoloration , Seafood toxins , Mass mortalities
Event directly affected:
Planktonic life , Natural Fish , Shellfish , Humans
Toxicity detected: Yes
Associated syndrome: NSP , Aerosolized toxins effects
Unexplained toxicity: No
Species implicated in toxin transmission (transvector):
Report the outcome of a monitoring programme: Yes
Event occurred before in this location: No
Individuals to contact: TESTER, Patricia

Location & Date

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Location: Latitude: , Longitude:
General location information: South and west of Cape Lookout., North Carolina.
HAB Area code(s): US-11
Additional location information: Continental shelf of North Carolina south and west of Cape Lookout, including sounds and inlets inside the Outer Banks and southern Barrier Islands.
Bloom event dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Quarantine levels dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Additional date-related information: November 1987 - February 1988.

Microalgae

Causative organism known: Yes
Causative Species/Genus: Ptychodiscus brevis (20,000,000 cells/L)
Confirmed by K.A. Steidinger.
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: Yes Oxygen content (nL/L): Wind velocity:
Temperature (°C): Oxygen saturation %: Current Direction:
Sechhi disk (m): Salinity: Current Velocity: 0
Nutrient information:
Temperature Range During Event: Max: °C, Min: °C
Salinity Range During Event: Max: 36, Min: 24
Bloom location in the water column:
Growth: Advected
Growth Comments The population was clearly advected north from Florida via the Gulf Stream. Some in situ growth is probable once the species was deposited in North Carolina waters.
Additional Environmental information: Temperature: 20-23º C at onset; about 5-10º C in February as blooms declined. Offshore stratification: water mass with population maintained offshore, with pulses of cells brought to shore with wind events.

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 quarantine for waters to south of Cape Hatteras.
Additional harmful effect information:
Updated at 04:43 on 10 May 2018
IOC/UNESCO ISSHA
IOC/UNESCO ICES PICES