New limits of Ostreopsis distribution in the Bay of Biscay: a first report of Ostreopsis in Santander Bay, Cantabria (Northern Spain) Fig. 1. Location of sampling sites The genus Ostreopsis encompasses benthic dinoflagellates that represent one of the main microalgal threats for beach tourism in warm-temperate waters. Blooms of species within this genus can produce toxins, mostly belonging to the palytoxin group [1], which may cause problems affecting the respiratory system and/or skin irritation, due to their association with toxic marine aerosols. Not all the Ostreopsis species have been confirmed as toxin producers with only 4 out of the currently 11 species described considered toxic [2]. Ostreopsis proliferates forming a thin pellicle on the rocks or on macrophytes, but it is possible to also find it in the water column detached from the substrate forming aggregates, usually after very hydrodynamic episodes. The distribution of this genus has been typically restricted to tropical and temperate waters. In the last years, reports of Ostreopsis blooms in temperate waters have increased, some of them occurring in places where they had not been observed before [3]. Such is the case of the Bay of Biscay, where Ostreopsis spp. were recurrently observed in the southeastern part of the Bay in studies conducted during 2010 and 2011 [4]. In those surveys, the western limit of Ostreopsis distribution was established at the locality of Santoña [4]. Santander Bay is the largest estuary in Northern Spain, with important commercial, fishing and tourist activities. On September 7th, 2017, Ostreopsis was recorded for the first time west of Santoña from a survey performed in Loredo Beach, at the mouth of the Bay, (Fig. 1). Two weeks later, on September 21st, samples from two sites to the west of Santander Bay, Llanes and San Vicente de la Barquera, were collected to establish the new limits of Ostreopsis. No cells of this genus were detected. Additional samples close to Santoña confirmed the presence of Ostreopsis in this location. Up to date, Santander Bay represents the new western limit of Ostreopsis distribution in the Bay of Biscay. Considering the socio-economic importance of Santander Bay, the presence of Ostreopsis in the area should be regularly monitored. Cultures of Ostreopsis isolated from epiphytic cells on macroalgae at the sampling stations in Santander Bay and Santoña were analyzed genetically to identify the species. The amplification of the ITS1 rDNA region performed with specific primers [5] confirmed that the strains belong to Ostreopsis siamensis, corroborating our first suspicion based on the cells morphology (Fig. 2). These strains are currently kept at the Microalgae Culture Collection of the University of the Basque Country. Temperatures close to the sampling site, in the mouth of Santander Bay, were above 19 C from mid June until the end of September 2017. Our observations agree with the hypothesis posed by David et al [4], that temperatures above 19.5 C during at least three consecutive months are necessary for the populations of Ostreopsis to develop in the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Additional surveys should be planned, both to the north and west of Santander Bay, to definitively assess the distribution of Ostreopsis siamensis in the Bay of Biscay. References 1. Berdalet E et al 2015. J Mar Biol Ass UK 96: 61-91 2. Accoroni S & C Totti 2016. Adv Ocean Limnol 7: 1-15 3. Shears N T & P M Ross 2009. Harmful Algae 8: 916-625 4. David H et al 2012. Cryptogamie Algol 33: 199-207 5. Battocchi et al 2010. Mar Pol Bull 60: 1074-1084 Authors Sergio Seoane, Plant Biology and Ecology Department, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bo Sarriena S/N 48940, Leioa, Spain Raffaele Siano, Ifremer - Centre de Brest DYNECO PELAGOS, BP70 29280 Plouzané, France Corresponding author: Sergio.seoane@ehu.es Fig. 2. Ostreopsis siamensis from Santander Bay 10 HARMFUL ALGAE NEWS NO. 60 / 2018 Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 60 - July 2018 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab Marine eukaryote and HAB monitoring in Japan with next generation technology Sequencing technologies such as Illumina MiSeq have made it possible to obtain billions of sequence reads in a Frequency distribution (%) the surface data was used in this study. Surface seawater (0.5 L) was collected weekly with a plastic bucket during the same period. For MPS-based monitoring based on amplicon-seq of 18S-rRNA gene (V79 region), PCR amplification and 454 pyrosequencing were performed accor Inland Sea, 2-17-5 Maruishi, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 739-045, Japan Hiroshi Shimada, Central Fisheries Research Institute of Hokkaido Research Organization, Hamanaka-cho 238, Yoichi, Hokkaido 0468555, Japan Seiji Katakura, City of Mombetsu, Kaiyo-koryukan, Kaiyo-koen, Mombetsu, Hokkaido 094-0031, Jap Quantifying dinoflagellate cysts in bottom sediments: a response to Anderson 2018 Problems associated with quantifying dinoflagellate cysts in bottom sediments featured prominently in Don Anderson s personal retrospective view of his contribution to the early days of HAB cyst research published rece viously, sample sites should be chosen to avoid such areas if possible. Clearly, there is room for questions or criticism when this dynamic system is modelled from the assumption that bottom sediments, for example in Anderson s work in The Gulf of Maine, are in a static stable condition whereby a sa Contribution of marine invertebrates to Ciguatera poisoning : the case study of French Polynesia Reported as early as the 15th century by explorers, ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most prominent non-bacterial seafood poisoning worldwide. Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, CFP res au développement du phytoplancton ciguatérigène en Polynésie française: CARISTO-Pf n7937/MSR/REC of 4th of December 2015 and Arrêté nHC/491/ DIE/BPT of 30th March 2016). Figure 2. Comparison of Pacific ciguatoxins (P-CTXs) profiles in A) in vitro cultures of Gambierdiscus polynesiensis (TB-92 [14]) Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) technology for field monitoring of Gambierdiscus toxins with passive samplers Ciguatera poisoning is a seafood intoxication classically associated with the consumption of tropical coral reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs), although some marine Fig. 2. Summary of the results demonstrating that SPATT passive sampling could advantageously contribute to the reinforcement of ciguateric risk assessment and management programmes as a supplementary tool. or of very low densities of toxic Gambierdiscus cells. However, CTXs were detected in numero New limits of Ostreopsis distribution in the Bay of Biscay: a first report of Ostreopsis in Santander Bay, Cantabria (Northern Spain) Fig. 1. Location of sampling sites The genus Ostreopsis encompasses benthic dinoflagellates that represent one of the main microalgal threats for beach tourism in w Bloom of Ostreopsis cf. siamensis in Lisbon Bay Fig. 1. Sampling sites on Lisbon Bay Reports of benthic HAB events have increased during the last decade in temperate regions. These have been associated with proliferations of benthic toxic dinoflagellates, in particular species of Ostreopsis. The M Table1 1- List - List the macroalgaecommunity communityspecies species Table ofof the macroalgae ITSA and ITSB primers [6]. Phylogenetic analysis (not Asparagopsis armata Corallina sp. shown) revealed that all the Caulacanthus ustulatus Cystoseira sp. studied sequences grouped Ceramiacea Derbesia s A possible link between the breakdown of a fertilizer tank and a toxic Pseudonitzschia bloom fishery, leaving toxic blooms undetected in other areas. By the time of the bloom, the diatom community primarily consisted of P. seriata (Fig. 3). Identification of P. seriata as the potential culprit diat Fig. 3. Pseudo-nitzschia seriata TEM micrograph of the poroid structure arranged within the striae consisting of two outer rows of larger poroids and one or two inner rows of smaller poroids. induce DA production in P. australis [7], and the most potent DA-inducing N form has been shown to be urea. Golden alga Prymnesium parvum Carter bloom off Azhikode, southwest India In September 2009, during the southwest monsoon season, a quasi-monospecific bloom of Prymnesium parvum was collected off Azhikode (10o 11 02 N; 76o 09 22 E), on the southwest coast of India (Fig. 1). A conspicuous pale browni Regional Workshop on Monitoring and Management Strategies for Benthic HABs if possible, establish tools for standardized procedures. The exercise is open to the entire international community. The goal of achieving improved assessments of the risks associated with BHABs will help reduce the health, Workshop on morpho-molecular methods for the study of dinoflagellate cysts A workshop on techniques for the morphological and molecular identification of cysts from toxic HAB species, led by Drs Kenneth Neil Mertens, Kirsty Smith, Lesley Rhodes and Lincoln MacKenzie, was held recently at the Cawthro Cawthron Summer Scholar Explores Bloom-Forming Freshwater Cyano bacteria Globally, cyanobacteria blooms in freshwater environments are causing water quality problems and health risks with increasing frequency. New Zealand is no stranger to this, suffering from blooms of toxin-producing cyanobacteria Canadian HAB Scientists Hold Workshop to Establish National Priorities and Develop Research Network A National Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) workshop was organized and chaired by Dr. Ian Perry at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Sidney, British Columbia, July 11- Joint FAO, IAEA, IOC and WHO Technical Meeting for the development of an InterAgency Global Ciguatera Strategy Harmful Algae News has previously brought information on an initiative between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Environment Laboratories in Monaco jointly with the Oceanographi 12th Advanced Phytoplankton Course - APC 12 Identification, Taxonomy, Systematics Roscoff Biological Station (France) - 19th May to 8th June 2019 APC12 is organized by the Station Biologique de Roscoff together with the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and the IOC Science and Communication Centre on H ICHA 2018 News: 669 abstracts evaluated ! 250 orals + 45 ignite talks selected and participants notified ICHA 2018 News: 669 abstracts evaluated ! 9 plenaries confirmed 250 orals + 45 ignite talks selected and participants notified 3 satellite sessions 9 plenaries confirmed 3 satellite sessions