Through the sampling efforts of the SCCOOS HAB Monitoring sites and additional efforts by the Orange County Sanitation District, domoic acid has been detected in Santa Barbara (Stearn’s Wharf, Gaviota Pier and Goleta Pier), Los Angeles (Redondo Beach Pier) and Orange (Newport Pier and offshore samples) Counties. Additionally, a California Sea Lion that stranded July 30th with domoic acid toxicity symptoms tested positive for DA in a serum sample.

Due to the large influx of stranded marine mammals and the detection of domoic acid in seawater samples, it appears that a domoic acid event is occurring in southern California.

The harmless, green foam that invaded Orange and LA County beaches in late July has extended down to San Diego County. Last week, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography also found Tetraselmis, a microscopic green algae, in samples from Scripps Pier.  The foam has persisted this week, though it's patchy distribution make it visible only at some beaches and the foam becomes more apparent in the afternoon when the wind and waves mix the surface waters.  This green flagellate which is only 10 micrometers in size has been found in concentrations as dense as 15 million cells per liter of seawater.  There are no documented health hazards with swimming or fishing in areas of Tetraselmis blooms.

Green slime appeared at the surface of the coastal waters from Long Beach down through Newport Beach last week. Samples were collected by the County of Orange Health Care Agency, the Orange County Sanitation District and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Researchers at University of Southern California identified the samples as being highly dominated by one species, Tetraselmis, which is very small flagellated chlorophyte. This is not a harmful species so there are no documented health hazards from this organism. The University of Southern California researchers have seen this species in past summers in southern California, but it appears to be more widespread this year.

To learn more about algal bloom monitoring in the LA and Orange County areas, click here.

King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach, California, experienced a red tide caused by the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea over a two week period in late May and early June.  During the height of the bloom, extremely dense patches of Akashiwo sanguinea (chlorophyll values of 3518.4 mg/m³) were observed along the seawall located at the back of the marina. However the chlorophyll concentrations at the Harbor Patrol dock, located approximately 0.25 miles away near the mouth of the marina, were considerably less (52.42 mg/m³).  These single-celled organisms are one of several species that are responsible for harmful algal blooms (HABs), and are actively monitored along the California coast.  While this organism is not currently known to produce toxins, it does generate a surfactant-like protein that can be extremely deleterious to marine life, especially marine birds. As the protein coats the animal’s feathers, it greatly reduces their natural water-proofing ability, causing them to suffer hypothermia.  Although the mechanism is not clearly understood, Akashiwo sanguinea blooms are also thought to be responsible for massive fish kills.

To learn more about Akashiwo sanguinea click here

To learn more about monitoring in King Harbor Marina click here

Patches of discolored reddish-brown waters have been seen along San Diego County beaches from Oceanside to Imperial Beach over the past few weeks.  Our monitoring efforts show that these dense blooms are caused primarily by a type of phytoplankton, a dinoflagellate called Lingulodinium polyedrum. Cell counts show a population increase from an average of 7,000 cells/liter to 200,000 cells/liter in the patches, and a 10-fold increase in the chlorophyll content from the average value of 2 mg/m³. Areas where the red waters are observed during the day can have a drastically different look at night when these cells bioluminesce producing a striking blue color when agitated from breaking waves, swimming fishes and even the movement of your hands and feet.  The water is not harmful to swim in though we are currently testing for toxins that could accumulate in filter feeding organisms such as mussels and some fishes.  This species has been associated with previous red tides in southern California, and blooms of this current magnitude (chlorophyll greater than 20 mg/m³) have occurred in five years out of the last twenty five years.

Low abundance of potentially toxic species of algae were found at the coast in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties.  No impacts are expected at the coast.  Reports of discolored water have been received at Scripps Pier in San Diego county.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2009

CONTACT:
Al Lundeen
Ron Owens
(916) 440-7259
PH09-99

CDPH LIFTS SPORT-HARVESTED MUSSELS QUARANTINE

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today that the statewide annual quarantine on mussels taken by sport harvesters from California’s ocean waters ends at midnight on Saturday, October 31 for all counties except Del Norte, Humboldt, and San Luis Obispo. Aside for these three counties, samplings of mussels show no detectable levels of dangerous toxins and human consumption of shellfish is now considered safe.

The annual quarantine is issued for the entire California coastline, usually from May 1 through October 31. The quarantine applies only to sport-harvested mussels. Commercially harvested shellfish are not included in the quarantine as other steps are taken to assure oysters, clams and mussels entering the marketplace are free of toxins.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a form of nervous system poisoning. Concentrated levels of the PSP toxins can develop in mussels and other bivalve shellfish when they feed on certain naturally occurring marine plankton.

A second form of poisoning, Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP) -- sometimes referred to as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) -- has been linked to natural food sources for filter-feeding animals like bivalve shellfish. No known cases of human ASP have occurred in California this season. Domoic acid has been linked to several poisonings of marine mammals along the Pacific Coast and may have caused several mild cases of human poisoning in the state of Washington.

CDPH’s shellfish sampling and testing programs for PSP and ASP issue warnings or quarantines when needed. Local health departments, various state and federal agencies and others participate in the monitoring program.

Consumers can receive updated information about shellfish poisoning by calling the "Shellfish Information Line" at (800) 553-4133.

www.cdph.ca.gov

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A number of bird and marine mammal strandings have occurred in the past week in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas with a possible link to domoic-acid (DA) poisoning. Significant numbers of the domoic-acid producing diatom Pseudo-nitzschia have been detected at SCCOOS Harmful Algal Bloom study sites at Stearn's Wharf, Newport Pier, and Scripps Pier over the past week. USC Webb Gliders running transects around Catalina Island also show a significant subsurface chlorophyll maximum. Additionally, low levels of domoic acid were detected in and around the Los Angeles Harbor at the end of April.

Scientists from USC will be coordinating with the Los Angeles and Orange County Sanitation Districts to collect seawater samples this week to verify the extent of this event. Further updates will follow as analysis is completed on seawater and marine mammal samples.

The reddish water or "red tide" off Imperial Beach's coast is safe for water enthusiasts, but signals that local mussels may be toxic, county health officials said Tuesday.