The waters of western and northern Alaska, including the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, are changing due to climate-driven warming, leading to an elevated risk of Alexandrium catenella blooms and paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). PSTs are a recognized health concern in southeastern Alaska, but the distribution, dynamics and impacts of A. catenella blooms in the…

An article in the 4/13/23 Nome Nugget summarized research findings on R/V Norseman II cruise in July-August 2022 when extremely high concentrations of Alexandrium were detected by the Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB).  Health officials in six major communities across the Bering Strait and Seward Peninsula issued advisories about consuming shellfish. Here is the full article.

Emma Pate, a new training coordinator and environmental planner in the Office of Environmental Health, is working with tribes in the Bering Strait region to establish a monitoring program to track harmful algae. When a massive algal bloom was detected in the region during the summer of 2023 by scientists aboard the R/V Norseman II,…

Kristy Lewis, research on HABs and professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF), was recently interviewed for an AccuWeather story. This story helped to raise community awareness about red tide along Florida’s southwest coast and covered health concerns related to respiratory symptoms and information about consumption of shellfish. Here is a link to the…

The Anderson Lab is working with Mote Marine Labs, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Florida University scientists to do field trials at permitted test sites in Tampa Bay. Don Anderson was interviewed recently for this news story.

The Alaska Sea Grant newsletter featured a story on the joint outreach effort between ECOHAB and the Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC). Beltz High School students in Nome, Alaska were introduced to harmful algae in the classroom and then went on a field visit to the port of Nome, where they learned seawater sampling techniques. Read…

An article in the December 2022 issue of Oceanus discussed research findings on R/V Norseman II cruise in July-August 2022 when extremely high concentrations of Alexandrium were detected by the Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB).  Health officials in six major communities across the Bering Strait and Seward Peninsula issued advisories about consuming shellfish. Hentz, Daniel. 2022.…

On August 18-20, 2022, scientists on board the research vessel Norseman II found very high numbers of Alexandrium catenella algae cell counts near Wales, Diomede and Shishmaref. Here is a link to the story in the Nome Nugget.

Significantly high concentrations of Alexandrium catenella were found in the Gulf of Alaska in July and August 2022 during the research cruise on the Norseman II. A health advisory was issued warning nearby communities that clabs, crabs, and tunicates in these waters could affect human and animal health. The full story in The Nome Nugget…

A local news story on May 3, 2022 covered harmful algal blooms in the New England and Cape Cod region and their potential to impact Falmouth, Massachusetts, an area which is not monitored by state agencies. The full story in the Falmouth Enterprise can be found here.