Blooms of the potentially harmful raphidophyte Chattonella antiqua and the occurrence of the epiphytic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata in the coastal waters of Alexandria, Egypt coastal marine areas. Blooms of this genus are usually accompanied by goldenbrown seawater discoloration due to their high content of fucoxanthins [3,6]. The El Dekhila area is part of Mex Bay, western Alexandria. This is a highly eutrophic marine basin due to the huge amounts of domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, and agricultural run-off from different land based sources (estimated as 7-8106 m3 per day), discharged directly into the sea, or indirectly from Lake Mariout. The area, considered ecologically, economically and socially important, is an exFig. 1. Location of sampling stations tremely variable system. High inputs of nutrients and organic matter of anThis article reports blooms of two harm- thropogenic origin may create favourful microalgal species, a raphidophyte able conditions for the development of and a dinoflagellate, at two localities, recurrent massive harmful algal blooms El Dekhila and Abou Qir, at the western causing fish and invertebrate mortality and eastern sides of Alexandria coastal [7]. Blooms of C. antiqua have been prewaters, south Mediterranean (Fig. 1). viously described in Alexandria waters [1], and its presence as a member of the local phytoplankton community was reBlooms of Chattonella antiqua ported several decades ago [7]. (Y. Hada) C.Ono 1980 Cell densities of C. antiqua (Fig. 2) Chattonella antiqua is a unicellular, in surface waters of the El Dekhila area biflagellated raphidophyte frequently during the summer of 2019 reached found in the plankton of temperate nu- up to 16.7 106 cells l1, causing redtrient-rich coastal waters under a wide dish water discoloration. The bloom range of environmental conditions [1- appeared associated with high tem3]. Members of the Chattonella genus peratures, intermediate salinity and can form harmful algal blooms (HABs) extremely high nutrient loads (Table 1). that cause massive mortalities of wild The observed physico-chemical condiand cultivated fish via the generation tions are not very different from those of reactive oxygen species (ROS, e.g. su- observed previously associated with peroxide). These ROS are responsible the occurrence of red tides in Alexanfor gill tissue injury and mucus produc- dria waters. Among the co-occurring tion that kill fish [1-2,4]. Chattonella phytoplankton species, Chaetoceros antiqua, was also found to produce compressus (4.1x106 cell l-1), Skeletonebrevetoxins [5]. These microalgae are ma costatum (0.28x106 cell l-1), and Lepthe focus in monitoring studies in some tocylindrus minimus (0.16x106 cell l-1) thrived during these bloom conditions. This is the second report of massive C. antiqua blooms in Alexandria. During the 2006 bloom [1], a few cells of Heterosigma, which later became a red tide bloom species in the Fig. 2. Micrographs of Chattonella antiqua (Y.Hada) C.Ono area, were observed [7]. 6 Due to their tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions, it may be assumed that blooms of raphidophytes in Alexandria waters are more common than has hitherto been documented in the literature. Currently the Egyptian government is implementing a substantial initiative to improve the water quality of Lake Mariout. Reduction of nutrient loads would be one of the best strategies to mitigate blooms of the genus Chattonella and other potentially harmful algal species in Mex Bay. Epiphytic Ostreopsis cf ovata In the last few decades there have been an increasing number of reports worldwide detailing the geographical expansion and impacts of epiphytic microalgal species belonging to the genus Ostreopsis in temperate areas [8,9]. Ostreopsis cf ovata is known to produce toxins and its toxicity is associated with the presence of palytoxin analogues [10]. In the Mediterranean Sea, neurotoxic effects due to ingestion of seafood contaminated with Ostreopsis-related toxins transferred through the food web have not yet been reported. So far, blooms of certain Ostreopsis species are implicated only in mild respiratory, skin and eye irritation [11]. A review of the existing literature over the last three decades on harmful red tide blooms in Alexandria coastal waters has been performed and focuses on planktonic bloom forming species [12]. Information on the ecology of potentially harmful epiphytic dinoflagellates from Alexandria coastal waters is extremely poor. Planktonic stages of Ostreopsis cf. ovata were recorded in the study area in July 2007, but maximal density reached (1980 cells l-1) was well below the alert values [13]. The relationship between environmental factors and the abundance of epiphytic O. cf ovata cells in Abou Qri was investigated. This is a highly exposed rocky area in eastern Alexandria. HARMFUL ALGAE NEWS NO. 63 / 2019 Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 63 - December 2019 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab Harmful Algal Blooms in a Changing Climate In September 2019 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) approved and accepted the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere New Initiative on Fish-Killing Algal Blooms An Advanced International Colloquium and Technical Workshop on Fish-Killing HABs under the auspices of IOC-IPHAB and GlobalHAB, and with the support of the government of Chile through CORFO and collaboration of CREAN-IFOP, was held in Puerto Varas, Chile, IOC-SCOR GlobalHAB Workshop: Evaluating, Reducing and Mitigating the Cost of Harmful Algal Blooms: a Compendium of Case Studies Over the last two decades, several reports have compiled what is known about the economic impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) [1-4]. Although these reports attempted to Several examples of HAB-related losses and loss mitigation were discussed at the workshop in detail. A HAB incident in northern Norway alone resulted in the loss of 14 thousand tons of Atlantic salmon in May 2019, resulting in a total loss of at least 330 million USD, including insured losses of 45 Massive fish mortality in Teluk Bahang, Penang, Malaysia caused by a hypoxia-inducing algal bloom Fish kill events due to algal blooms have been increased dramatically over the past decades. Several massive fish kill events have been reported in Malaysia [1-5]. Among the incidents reported, some are Blooms of the potentially harmful raphidophyte Chattonella antiqua and the occurrence of the epiphytic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata in the coastal waters of Alexandria, Egypt coastal marine areas. Blooms of this genus are usually accompanied by goldenbrown seawater discoloration due to their Table 1. Seawater physical and chemical parameters during the summer 2019 Chattonella bloom mg O2/L Nutrient concentration μM C Salinit y pH DO COD PO4 SiO4 NO2 NO3 NH4 35.00 17.8 8.64 6.3 22.5 13.35 58 12.6 20.6 45.2 TN SiO4 PO4 Table 2. Physical and chemical properties of First records of Gambierdiscus excentricus and Ostreopsis lenticularis in the Cape Verde Archipelago (Macaronesia, Central Eastern Atlanctic) Fig. 1. Map of Cape Verde archipelago (Macaronesia Region). Harmful algal blooms (HAB) species frequently recorded in tropical latitudes are apparently incr Fig. 3. Gambierdiscus excentricus. Scanning electron micrographs, apical and ventral views mostly on the left side of the cell. The second apical plate (2) was narrow and elongated, and located below the APC, extending dorsally to the Po plate, and reaching about the mid-position of the 3 plate. Pl Microcystis bloom in Saladito river, central-southern Cuba Fig. 1. Map showing the cyanobacterial bloom area in Saladito River, central-southern Cuba. Water blooms or simply blooms in freshwater reservoirs are mass accumulations of planktonic microalgae or cyanobacteria. Water blooms (Wasserblüte) the center of the colony; a few solitary cells may appear in the mucilage. In our populations the typical solitary cells in mucilage were not observed, neither the concentrically lamellated margins. It is possible that the Cuban specimens could be identified as M. panniformis or M. novacekii, but fu Citizen Science Oceanography in the Strait of Georgia, Canada an overview of five years of operations The Citizen Science Oceanography Program for the coastal waters of British Columbia (BC), Canada was proposed by Dr. Eddy Carmack, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Carmack envisioned a mosquito f harm (e.g. fish kills, shellfish poisoning) at very low concentrations. In the latter case, they are still called blooms because of their effects. These types of blooms can be invisible to the naked eye and only in-situ sampling can detect them. During five years of observations, the heaviest blooms Multicoloured algal blooms in the NW Adriatic during 2018 The northern Adriatic is characterized by shallow waters (mean depth about 35 m), a weak bathymetric gradient along the main axis and a high riverine input on the western side, affecting both the circulation regime and the trophic status. As Fig. 4. A bloom of an unidentified gymnodinioid caused a brown-greenish discoloration. Fig. 6. Ostreopsis cf. ovata bloom causing bleaching of macroalgal thalli. Fig. 5. Green colored waters from a mixed bloom of diatoms and Prorocentrum cordatum. Fig. 7. Field sample showing Takayama tasmanica a A bloom of Prorocentrum triestinum in the Hossegor Marine Lake (France) Phytoplankton communities in the Hossegor marine lake (Southern French Atlantic coast, Fig. 1) have been monthly monitored since 1997 to protect human health (REPHY network: monitoring of toxin producing species which may contam The ICES Annual Science Conference 2019 The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) annual science conference took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, 9-12th Sept 2019 with 738 participants from 38 countries attending. The conference opened with a lively panel discussion around sustaina 11th Irish Shellfish Safety Workshop At the 11th Shellfish Safety Workshop held in the Radisson Blu Hotel Athlone, Ireland, Joe Silke, Director of Marine Environment and Food Safety Services at the Marine Institute said, Irelands Shellfish Safety Monitoring Programme ensures that shellfish placed on Fig. 2. Oyster Farm. Photo courtesy of Fionn OFearghail, Marine Institute Marine Institute The Marine Institute is the state agency responsible for marine research, technology development and innovation in Ireland. The Marine Institute provides government, public agencies and the maritime industry The 33rd annual meeting of the Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany (ASPAB) The 33rd annual ASPAB meeting was held at NIWAs Greta Point site in Wellington, New Zealand on 11-13 November 2019. This year most presentations were on macroalgae although in the past microalgae and HABs ha Forthcoming events Call for abstracts - ICHA 2020 The Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the call for abstracts and pre-registration for the 19th International Conference on Harmful Algal Blooms to be held from the 11th to the 16th of October 2020 in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. La 12th International Conference on Modern and Fossil Dinoflagellates The Canarian HABs Observatory (OCH) hosts the 12th edition of the International Conference on Modern and Fossil Dinoflagellates (DINO12), to be held from 13th to 17th July 2020 at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Canteras beach, L