Title: Marine biotoxins and harmful algae : a national plan
Abstract: Mare biotoxins and hanful algae represent a significant and expanding theat to human health and fisheries resoures thrughout the United States.These phenomena take a varety of forms.From a public health stadpoint, four human ilnesses are associated with toxic algal blooms and consumption of toxin-contaminated shellfish in the United States: parlytic, neurotoxic, amnesic, and diarhetic shellfsh poisoning (called PSP, NSP, ASP, and DSP respetively).Except for ASP, all are caused by biotoxins synthesize by a class of marne algae called dinoflagellates.ASP is produced by another class of marne algae (diatoms) that unti recently were thought to be harless.A fifth human illness, ciguatera fish poisoning (CF) is caused by biotoxins produced by epibenthic dinoflagellates attached to suraces in many coral reef communities.Ciguatera toxins are transferred through the foo chain frm herbivorous reef fishes to larger carivorous, commercially valuable finfish.In a similar manner, the viscera of other commercially importt fish such as herrng or sardies can contain PSP toxins, endagering human health following consumption of whole fish.Whales, porpoises, seabirds, and other animals can be victims as well, receiving toxins though the foo chain via contaminated zooplankton or fish.Mare fauna can be affected by a varety of algal species that release toxins or other compounds into the water or that kill by physically daaging gills.Prblems associated with hanful algal species and faned fish have increased considerably in recent years, due in par to the simultaneous expansion of the fish-faning industr.Furtermore, the death and decay of algal blooms can lead to anoxia through decompositional oxygen demand, resulting in widespread mortities of fish, shellfish, and invertebrates.An additional problem is that of benthic or plantonic macroalgae that can proliferate in response to anthropogenic nutrent enrchment.This can lead to major negative impacts due to displacement of indigenous species, habitat alteration, or oxygen depletion.The National Academy of Sciences recently issued a report expressing serious concerns about the quality of the nation's seafoo (Ahmed, 1991), emphasizing the need for attention to marne biotoxins and hanful algae.In response to this diective and to a heightened public and governmental awareness of the changing nature of the coastal marne envirnment, governmenta funding is being tageted towards mare biotoxins, hanful algae, and their impacts.The optimum allocation of these resources can benefit greatly frm scientific guidace as the new programs are fonnulated and implemented.A workshop on Marne Biotoxins and Hanful Algae was thus convened in Charleston, South Carolina, from 21-24 April 1992, to bring scientists and regulatory officials together to evaluate U.S. research knowledge and capabilties, and to identiy areas where research funds should be dicted for maximum benefit. E-1From a number of nationally recognize leaders in the aras of marne biotoxins, harful algae, seafoo safety, and public health, 24 paricipants were selecte to represent the critical scientic disciplines and all regions of continental Nort America.Position papers on 12 relevant topics, wrtten by the parcipants and distrbuted before the workshop, fonned the basis for discussions GOAL: Effective management of fisheries, public health, and ecosystem problems related to marne biotoxins and harful algae.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:• To isolate toxins and their natual derivatives, and charterize their chemical strctures and pharacological action.• To develop speifc detection methods based on the unique chemistr and/or pharacology of individual toxins.• To develop foreasting capabilties for the occurnce and impacts of harful marne algal blooms.• To determine the source, fate, and consequences of algal toxins in marne foowebs and fisheries.• 'To develop management and mitigation strategies to minimize impacts of marne biotoxins and harful algae.• To identify and improve access to databases for bloom incidence, toxin occurence in shellfish, mass mortity events, and epidemiology.• To develop communication programs that incorprate educational and public health materials, electrnic communication, and on-site training.• To provide for rapid response to toxic and otherwise harful mare algal outbreaks.