Harmful Algae Bloom Identification Laboratory for Virginia Shellfish Hatcheries and Nurseries

HAB Identification Laboratory Training Module This laboratory is one part of a collaborative effort funded by NOAA Sea Grant to deliver timely and practical shellfish culture information to the commercial industr

Pemahaman Masyarakat Pesisir Lampung akan Bahaya Harmful Algae Bloom pada Sumber Pangan Laut

Harmful Algae Bloom (HABs) menyebabkan berbagai dampak pada kehidupan laut terutama kejadian kematian fauna serta secara tidak langsung berpengaruh pada kesehatan manusia yang mengkonsumsi sumber pangan laut. Penelitian ini penting untuk dilakukan karena masyarakat pesisir menggantungkan kehidupannya pada hasil laut serta mengkonsumsi sumber pangan laut.  Secara umum, masyarakat pesisir Lampung telah mengetahui adanya HABs namun belum semua memahami mengapa dan bagaimana peristiwa tersebut terjadi secara mendalam serta dampak bagi kesehatan manusia. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui tingkat pemahaman masyarakat akan bahaya HABs yang berdampak pada sumber pangannya. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data survei yang didukung dengan hasil wawancara mendalam dan focus group discussion. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa lebih dari separuh responden pernah mengetahui informasi dan bahaya mengenai HABs (57 persen). Penyebaran informasi mengenai kejadian dan penanganan HABs di Lampung belum begitu bagus. Saat terjadi HABs, hanya 54 persen masyarakat yang mengetahui terjadinya kematian ikan karena peristiwa tersebut. padahal kematian ikan tersebut terjadi kurang lebih selama 3 hari berturut-turut. Media yang diharapkan menyebarluaskan informasi kejadian HABs belum begitu berperan, masyarakat yang mengetahui berita kematian ikan sebagian besar karena melihat langsung. Sedikit sekali masyarakat yang mengetahui berita kematian ikan akibat HABs melalui media cetak maupun elektronik. Harmful Algae Bloom (HABs) causes various impacts on sea life, especially the incidence of fauna death and indirectly affects the health of humans who consume seafood sources. This research is essential to do because coastal communities depend their lives on marine products and consume seafood sources. In general, Lampung coastal communities are aware of the existence of HABs, but not all understand why and how these events occur in-depth and the impact on human health. The research objective is to determine the level of public understanding of the dangers of HABs that have an impact on food sources. The data used in this study are survey data supported by focus group discussions. The results of the study showed that more than half of respondents had known information and hazards regarding HABs (57 per cent). Dissemination of information about the incidence and handling of HABs in Lampung is not very good. When there were HABs, only 54 per cent of the people were aware of fish deaths due to these events.  The media which is expected to disseminate information on the HABs incident has not yet played a significant role, most of the people who know about the news of fish deaths have seen it firsthand. Very few people know about the news of fish deaths due to HABs through print and electronic media

Changing Tides: The Need for New Legislation To Prevent Algae Blooms

Under normal conditions, many species of algae form the the same throughout all coastal waters: (1) increased water temaquatic and terrestrial animals. However, algae can grow out of control creating a large mass called a harmful algae bloom (“HAB”) that produces dangerous toxins and threatens both humans and aquatic animals. In 2003, Congress passed legislation promoting more research on HABs in an attempt to prevent the damaging effects of these blooms on our oceans and lakes. Nevertheless, even after Congress recognized that a single HAB can cost millions of dollars in damage, it has not passed any legislation aimed at preventing or controlling this problem

The Code in the Water: An Investigation into Harmful and Non-harmful Algal Blooms

Grades: 9-12 Subjects: Biology | Environmental Science | Oceanography Algal blooms can be detected using the DNA extracted from water samples. This activity allows students to identify algae and understand the causes of algal blooms

Occurrence of harmful Algae bloom (HAB) and effects of aquaculture activity that causes HAB in Sg.Serusup, Tuaran

This study was carried out to determine the occurrence of Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) and the effects of aquaculture activities on HAB species in Sungai Serusup, Tuaran. Weekly and daily sampling was carried out. During the weekly sampling, water samples were taken at two stations from three different depths ( 2m , 4m, 6m )for seven consecutive weeks from 24th of September to 5th of November 2005 to study the distribution at different depths. For daily sampling, samples were taken at three selected stations from 5th December to 9th December 2005. Station 3 represents the control station which is situated approximately 4km away from the hatchery. This study consist of in- situ and ex-situ analyses. In- situ analyses comprises of collecting water samples and measurement of physical parameters such as salinity, temperature, pH and transparency. Ex-situ analyses included enumeration of phytoplankton. Cell counting was done in the laboratory. There were 5 HAB species identified present in the waters of Sg.Serusup, namely Chaeloceros sp., Ceratium sp., Prorocenlrum sp., Proloperidinillm sp., and Pyrodinillm bahamense. On weekly sampling method, the density of these HAB species showed significant changes with depth (p< 0.05).The number of HAB species decreases when it gets deeper. On daily sampling, density was the highest in the two stations in hatchery compared to station 3(control station). Pyrodinillm bahamense did not occur in Station 3. Density of HAB species were highest in Station 1 and 2 for daily and weekly sampling, because they were situated in the hatchery and high nutrient inflow due to feeding process. Comparison of physical parameters in all sampled stations showed that temperature has significant impact on the density ofHAB species (p= 0.011)

Adapting Biotoxin Monitoring For The Future: An Opportunity For A Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) Network In Casco Bay, Maine

Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs) related to marine biotoxins have considerable impacts on coastal communities and have been increasing in size and frequency globally. Maine is recognized as a leader in biotoxin management as it relates to bivalve shellfish, but it has been unclear how current management practices effect the growth of shellfish aquaculture and how they will adapt to future conditions. This research uses a collaborative approach to analyze the current state of biotoxin management in Maine. First, the current management practices in Maine were compared and contrasted with five other states dealing with similar issues. Then, the perspectives of primary stakeholders in the oyster aquaculture industry were investigated through surveys and interviews. Lastly, the interactions specifically between the oyster aquaculture industry and biotoxin management were examined in Casco Bay. Comparative case study results demonstrate that Maine effectively manages biotoxins but is lacking in data transparency and stakeholder engagement. Survey results suggest, oyster aquaculturists in Casco Bay are acutely aware of issues in biotoxin monitoring and are eager to find innovative solutions, as their livelihoods are directly impacted by the closures. An independent HAB network in Casco Bay would be an effective approach to increase stakeholder engagement and transparency around closure decisions. This will require initiative from both the grower community as well as the regulators. A new HAB Network has the potential to build trust between the regulators and oyster aquaculturists, as well as contribute to future HAB research

SAMSON: Spectral Absorption-fluorescence Microscopy System for ON-site-imaging of algae

This paper presents SAMSON, a Spectral Absorption-fluorescence Microscopy System for ON-site-imaging of algae within a water sample. Designed to be portable and low-cost for on-site use, the optical sub-system of SAMSON consists of a mixture of low-cost optics and electronics, designed specifically to capture both fluorescent and absorption responses from a water sample. The graphical user interface (GUI) sub-system of SAMSON was designed to enable flexible visualisation of algae in the water sample in real-time, with the ability to perform fine-grained exposure control and illumination wavelength selection. We demonstrate SAMSON's capabilities by equipping the system with two fluorescent illumination sources and seven absorption illumination sources to enable the capture of multispectral data from six different algae species (three from the Cyanophyta phylum (blue-green algae) and three from the Chlorophyta phylum (green algae)). The key benefit of SAMSON is the ability to perform rapid acquisition of fluorescence and absorption data at different wavelengths and magnification levels, thus opening the door for machine learning methods to automatically identify and enumerate different algae in water samples using this rich wealth of data

Red Tide: Bad for Business?

Red Tide is a harmful algal bloom that has been observed off the Gulf Coast of Florida for decades. The damage caused by red tides can be seen from beaches to local businesses to shellfish farmers. Research to learn more about how red tide is formed and how to mitigate the effects is a multi-million-dollar effort connecting scientists from all different parts of the world. While no solution has yet been found for a problem of this magnitude, several methods have been proposed and are undergoing experimentation. Looking at the effects red tide has on the state of Florida may provide a better understanding as to why finding a solution for red tide is a pressing issue