12th International Conference on Harmful Algae

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF HARMFUL ALGAE12 th <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Harmful Algae, Copenhagen, Denmark, 4-8 September 2006centre for cultivation of marinemicroalgae. Part of the Collection isdedicated to harmful strains,supplying cultures to researcherscountrywide, and contributing tointer-institutitional integration ofexperts on harmful microalgae.Currently 20 strains of potentiallyharmful dinoflagellates,raphidophyceans and cyanobacteriaare kept in the Collection, and morestrains will be incorporated in thenear future.PO.13-82Domoic acid intrusion into PugetSoundSession: PO.13 - Regional eventsPresentation time: 16:40 - 18:00FH Cox, Bob Lona, Jerry BorchertWashington State Dept. of Health,OLYMPIA, WA, United States of AmericaDomoic acid which causes amnesicshellfish poisoning was detected inrazor clams on the Pacific coast ofWashington in 1991. Emergencyclosures of the razor clam and crabfisheries were enacted. As a result,a domoic acid monitoring programwas established for the Pacific andPuget Sound fisheries. In 2003,domoic acid was detected insidePuget Sound, at Ft. Flagler StatePark. The U.S. Food and DrugAdministration action level of 20ppmwas exceeded and shellfishclosures were initiated. Domoicacid was detected at low levels asfar west as Port Angeles, as far eastas East Whidbey Island and as farsouth as Port Ludlow. In October,2005, domoic acid prompted newclosures in Puget Sound, involvingPenn Cove and Holmes Harbor, twocommercial shellfish areas in theWhidbey Basin. These test resultswere much higher and impactedshellfish other than mussels.Dungeness crab were also testedbut were below the closure level. Ifdomoic acid continues to move intonew areas inside Puget Sound, theeconomic and public healthimplications would be significant.Puget Sound could be in for somevery long shellfish closures, shouldshellfish like geoducks retain thetoxin like razor clams do.PO.06-17Molecular approaches to HABresearch: who’s there and whatare they doing?Session: PO.06 - Population dynamicsKJ Coyne 1 , MA Doblin 2 , CJ Gobler 3 , DAHutchins 1 , SM Handy 1 , E Demir 1 , KJPortune 1 , SC Cary 11 University of Delaware, LEWES, UnitedStates of America2 University of Technology, SYDNEY,Australia3 Stony Brook University, Marine Sciences,STONY BROOK, United States of AmericaRecent developments in moleculartechnologies have transformed ourapproach to HAB research. Whileincreasing accuracy and sensitivityof detection, they also increasesample throughput, making themideal for routine monitoring of HABspecies. Although the technologyhas moved forward at a rapid pace,few studies have applied molecularmethods to move beyond simplemonitoring and ask importantquestions about HAB ecology. Asuite of qualitative and quantitativemethods are now available toassess spatial and temporalchanges in community compositionand species-specific responses toenvironmental perturbation atseveral taxonomic levels. Here, wepresent an overview of thesemethods and their application toresearch on HAB species inestuarine, freshwater, and ships’155