Researchers raise concerns about Arctic food web

Hakai Magazine interviewed research biologists Evie Fachon at WHOI and Kathi Lefebvre at the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington for an article focusing on the potential for a significant increase in Alexandrium catenella harmful algal blooms due to warming Arctic waters. Alexandrium catenella blooms produce saxitoxin, a neurotoxin that paralyzes the nervous system in wildlife and humans and cannot be removed by cooking or freezing, thus raising serious concerns for food security for Native Alaskan communities that rely on wild harvests.

The arrival of toxin-producing Alexandrium catenella blooms in Alaska’s Arctic is a dangerous sign for communities that rely heavily on local food supplies. Photo by Design Pics Inc/Alamy Stock Photo, published in Hakai Magazine, 12/2/21

Here is a link to the article written by Tim Lydon and published online in Hakai Magazine, 12/2/21.