General Information

Event name: US-09-020
Country: UNITED STATES
Nature of the harmful event:
Seafood toxins
Event directly affected:
Shellfish
Toxicity detected: Yes (Approximate range: 1050 - 7920 micrograms PSP toxin; 3-7 ppm DA)
Associated syndrome: ASP , PSP
Unexplained toxicity: No
Species implicated in toxin transmission (transvector): ASP - mussels, manila clams & Pacific oysters; ASP - blue mussels
Report the outcome of a monitoring programme: Yes (WA Dept. of Health, Office of Shellfish & Water Protection, Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Program)
Event occurred before in this location: Yes (Most of the inlets of North Puget Sound have had previous PSP closures. Penn Cove and Holmes Harbor had ASP blooms in 2005.)
Individuals to contact: COX, Frank

Location & Date

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Location: Latitude: 48.983333, Longitude: -122.766667
General location information: Washington State, North Puget Sound, Pacific Northwest
HAB Area code(s): US-24
Additional location information: Bellingham Bay, Fidalgo Bay, Barlow Bay, Lopez Island for PSP. Utsalady Bay, Penn Cove, Madrona Beach for ASP.
Bloom event dates (yyyy/mm/dd): Start: 2009-09-16, End: 2010-04-30
Quarantine levels dates (yyyy/mm/dd):
Additional date-related information:

Microalgae

Causative organism known: Yes
Causative Species/Genus: Alexandrium catenella ( cells/L)
Pseudo-nitzschia sp. ( 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:
Bloom location in the water column:
Growth:
Growth Comments
Additional Environmental information:

Toxin Assay Information

Species containing the toxin Toxin type Toxin details Max. concentration Assay type
blue mussels Saxitoxins 7920 micrograms Bioassay-Mouse
blue mussels Domoic Acid 7 ppm LC
butter clams Domoic Acid 3 ppm LC
Kit used: No Type of kit used:
Additional information:
Economic losses: Recreational and commercial shellfish harvest seasons were interrupted, causing an economic loss to the North Puget Sound Washington communities.
Management decision:
Additional harmful effect information:
IOC/UNESCO ISSHA
IOC/UNESCO ICES PICES