Ecology of Alexandrium spp. in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada 2015 Fig. 1 Citizen Science sampling stations in the Strait of Georgia, Canada in 2015. Fig. 2. Citizen Science sampling areas in the Strait of Georgia, Canada in 2015. Coastal waters of British Columbia (BC), Canada have one of the longest docu- mented histories of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) in the world 1, 2. A monitoring program for the presence of toxins in shellfish was established in the 1940s 3. Since then, PSP closures have been occurring every year. In the Strait of Georgia, PSP is primarily caused by the genus Alexandrium. Little is known about Alexandrium spp. distribution and its environmental preferences in the Strait of Georgia. Currently, the gov- ernment does not have a harmful algae monitoring program in BC. The Citizen Science Program was initiated in 2015 by the Pacific Salmon HARMFUL ALGAE NEWS NO. 56 / 2017 Foundation, the Department of Fisher- ies and Oceans Canada, and Ocean Net- works Canada. The purpose of the pro- gram is to monitor the Strait of Georgia and provide data at a spatial and tem- poral scale not possible before. Proper- ties/samples that are being measured/ collected include phytoplankton, zoo- plankton, temperature, salinity, density, dissolved nutrients, fluorescence, oxy- gen, and turbidity. Sampling for phyto- plankton is performed at approximate- ly 80 sites (Figs. 1, 2) throughout the Strait every two weeks from February to October. At each site phytoplankton samples are collected from the surface (0 m). Among these 80 sites, there are 10 stations where additional samples at 5, 10, and 20 m are collected. Nutrients and environmental data are collected at 30 sites. The majority of the data can be found at the Ocean Networks Canada and Strait of Georgia Data Centre web- sites http://www.oceannetworks.ca and http://www.sogdatacentre.ca. Here we share observations on distribution, abundance, and environmental prefer- ences of Alexandrium spp. in the Strait of Georgia. In 2015, 1037 sea surface water samples were collected in the Strait of Georgia. Of these samples, 107 (10.3) contained cells of Alexandrium spp. Al- exandrium spp. were observed most frequently in Ladysmith and Cowichan Bay samples, while least frequently in Campbell River, Nanaimo, and Steves- ton (Table1). It has to be noted, that the total number of samples collected in Ladysmith and Steveston in 2015 were very low (Ladysmith was an opportun- istic area sampled by the Stzuminus First Nations when possible and Ste- veston area was added to the Citizen Science Program half way through the sampling season). Thus, the frequency of occurrence in Ladysmith and Steves- ton is not as representative as in the rest of the areas, where sampling was done more systematically. As for the temporal distribution, cells of Alexan- drium spp. were the most abundant in May August samples (Table 1). Cell densities. The majority of samples containing Alexandrium spp. showed low densities with only a few cells per mL (approximately 50 of the samples had 1 cell mL -1 and 25 had 2 cells mL -1 ). The remaining 25 of the sam- ples had densities of 3-18 cells mL -1 with all samples with densities > 8 cells mL -1 (N=15) occurring in Ladysmith and Cowichan Bay samples. Temporal patterns in these two areas (with aver- aged per area Alexandrium spp. densi- ties > 1 cell mL -1 ) are illustrated in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Temperature and salinity. There were 48 cases when temperature and salinity were recorded (at 0.5 m) along with phy- toplankton samples containing at least 1 cell mL -1 of Alexandrium spp. (at 0 m). Alexandrium spp. cells were observed in a wide range of temperatures from 9 to 22 C and salinities from 20 to 31 ppt (Fig. 5). The highest densities of Alexandrium spp. (10-13 cells mL -1 , N=4) were observed in 7 Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 56 - March 2017 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab Is Gambierdiscus expanding its geographic range in the Pacific region? Content HAB events and toxin effects Gambierdiscus distribution in the Pacific . ................................... Table 1: Geographic occurrence and toxin production (as determined by LCMS/MS) of Gambierdiscus species in the Pacific region. Species reported in the Pacific region G. australes G. balechii G. belizeanus G. caribaeus G. carpenteri G. cheloniae G. lapillus G. pacificus G. polynesiensis G. scabrosus Fig. 2. Scanning electron micrographs of cells of Gambierdiscus sp., isolate CAWD242, from the Kermadec Islands: (A) view of cingulum and apical pore, (B) apical pore complex, (C) antapi- cal hypotheca. this will bring the number of Gambier- discus species to fifteen. A related species, originally d lished data). The role of MTXs in ciguat- era fish poisoning is uncertain and due to its low oral toxicity may only play a small part in toxic events 21. A range of cell-based assays is avail- able to detect CFP-related toxins, includ- ing receptor binding (RBA), Ca 2+ flux, N2A and haemolytic assay Toxin production in lab-rat-diatoms (e.g. Pseudo-nitzschia) in the presence of copepods From only 15 species in 1965, currently 49 Pseudo-nitzschia species have been described, of which 22 have the abil- ity to produce the toxin domoic acid (DA), along with two Nitzschia species 1. Both numbers are Apart from increasing toxin produc- tion in already toxic species/strains, presence of grazers may even induce toxin production in species previously considered non-toxic, as shown for P. obtusa 3. It is therefore relevant to consider that all Pseudo-nitzschia spe- cies might have the potential to p Ecology of Alexandrium spp. in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada 2015 Fig. 1 Citizen Science sampling stations in the Strait of Georgia, Canada in 2015. Fig. 2. Citizen Science sampling areas in the Strait of Georgia, Canada in 2015. Coastal waters of British Columbia (BC), Canada have Table 1. Number of water samples (N) collected by the Citizen Science Program, frequency of samples with Alexandrium spp. presence (Alex. +), and number of water samples with Alexan- drium spp. cells present by month, Strait of Georgia 2015 (n/a - no samples were collected). Area Ladysmith Cowichan A clarification of three unnamed raphidophytes previously described from British Columbia gated motile cell with very similar chlo- roplasts and the oval Lugol-fixed cell in Fig. 2 #3 were probably equivalent to the long cells formed by V. globosus in stationary growth (see 5 Figs. 7 & 8). Raphidoph Fig. 3. Raphidophyte 2 from a culture in 1974. Motile cell, ventral view 11.5 μm long. reproduced here at a smaller size (Fig. 4) and are interpreted (in the figure caption) by the author. Photographs of motile cells under stress received from Nicky Haigh (Mi- crothalassia) (not shown here) reveal t Autumnal algal bloom succession in northern coasts of Gulf of Oman Fig. 1. Map of the study area The composition of harmful algal blooms is determined by the diversity and abundance of different species pre- sent. Temporal fluctuations in phyto- plankton populations can lead to a suc- cession of dif Table 1. Maximal mean density of the observed bloom species and physical-chemical properties of the near-shore waters during autumnal algal blooms in the northern Gulf of Oman Date 26 October 2016 04 November 2016 09 November 2016 29 November 2016 03 December 2016 Species/ Genus Alexandrium sp. Pror Nodularin accumulation in New Zealand shortfin eel from Lake Forsyth/Te Wairewa in 1866 2 and, from the 1940s onwards, open- ings have been carried out regularly. In 2008, the rūnanga attempted to create a permanent opening by constructing a 900 m canal and 300 m groyne at the eastern end of the bea Fig. 2. Nodularia spumigena from Lake Forsyth/Te Wairewa at 400 magnification (A) and blooms of the cyanobacterium at the lake in 2006 (B). Fig. 3. Eel fishing channels at Lake Forsyth/Te Wairewa (A) and members of the rūnanga of Wairewa catching eels in the channels by gaffing (B; photo provided by The Scottish Coastal Observatory Scotlands coastal environment is sub- ject to inherent variability resulting from short term processes such as tides and weather, the seasonal cycle, multi- annual cycles such as the North Atlantic Oscillation and larger scale influences such as climate change and oc The RedFANnetwork: a working group to deal with HABs in Mexico In October 2014 the network RedFAN (from the acronym in Spanish: Red temática sobre Florecimientos Algales Nocivos) was created with the financial support of the Mexican National Coun- cil of Science and Technology (CONA- CyT). This netw Caribbean Ciguatera Experts Discuss a Risk Management System for the IOCARIBE Region Over the past three decades the inci- dence of ciguatera has increased in the Caribbean countries by about 32 1. Despite the evidence of toxic events and their potential consequences on public health, fisheries and IOC/WESTPAC Scientists Shape the Future of Regional HAB Research More than twenty experts from coun- tries in the Western Pacific gathered in Nha Trang, Vietnam, 19-22 December 2016 to foster cooperation and define research priorities for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the region (Fig. 1). The East ing the ongoing HAB research and ca- pacity building efforts at these levels. Dr. Po Teen Lim presented the science and implementation plans of the IOC- SCOR sponsored new GlobalHAB re- search program (Fig. 3). It was widely recognized that national and regional efforts are complementary to global e In memory of Paul Harrison With great sorrow, we learned of the recent unexpected passing of our col- league, mentor and friend Paul J. Har- rison. Among his many contributions, Paul was a founding member of the Sci- entific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) working Group 137 SCOR WG 137 Global supply, marine resources, climate change impacts and environmental protection. His voice and perspec- tive will be sorely absent. Paul will be greatly missed by those he touched, but especially by Victoria, his wife of 51 years, and their children Rachel, Richard and Christina. A scholarship fund th 11th International Conference on Modern and Fossil Dinoflagellates The University of Bordeaux (France) is the organiser of the 11 th International Conference on Modern and Fossil Dino- flagellates, DINO11, which will be held from 17 to 21 July 2017 at Bordeaux, France. This series of conference was IOC Qualifications in Identification and Enumeration of Harmful Marine Microalgae A now traditional IOC course on identi- fication of harmful marine microalgae, including optional workshops on enu- meration and culture techniques. The 2017 course will be held from 6 to 19 August at the IOC Science a Taxonomic Note Oceanography special issue Alexandrium catenella vs. A. fundyense The Nomenclature Committee for Algae has decided (Prudhomme van Reine, 2017) that the name Gonyaulax catenel- la (Alexandrium catenella) should not be rejected and that A. fundyense and A. catenella are conspecific havi