The state of Washington routinely experiences seasonal restrictions on commercial and recreational shellfish harvest due to two toxic phytoplankton syndromes, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), which is often referred to as Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP). The biotoxin that causes PSP temporarily interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses in warm-blooded animals, causing symptoms in humans such as, numbness and tingling of the lips, tongue, face and extremities, difficulty talking, breathing, swallowing and muscle incoordinations. Symptoms develop quickly (within 1-2 hours of consumption) and can result in death. The species that causes PSP in Washington state marine waters is Alexandrium catenella. Alexandrium is usually present in small numbers; however, when environmental conditions are optimum, rapid reproduction occurs. Filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels during these "blooms". Domoic acid poisoning is caused by eating fish, shellfish or crab containing the toxin. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours of digestion. In severe cases, neurological symptoms develop within 48 hours and include headache, dizziness, confusion, disorientation, loss of short-term memory, motor weakness, seizures, profuse respiratory secretions, cardiac arrhythmias, coma and possibly death. Domoic acid produced by marine diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, was first detected on the Pacific coast in 1991 when several pelican and cormorant deaths were link to domoic acid in anchovies. The Washington State Department of Health routinely monitors for PSP and ASP in shellfish from areas throughout the state. Areas are closed for harvest of molluscan shellfish when PSP toxin levels are equal to or exceed 80 ug toxin/100 grams shellfish tissue. Molluscan shellfish areas are closed when domoic acid (DA) levels reach 15 ppm in a composite sample of six shellfish (this level was changed to 20 ppm in 2001), whereas Dungeness crab areas are closed when DA levels reach 30 ppm in three of six individual crab viscera.

The state of Washington routinely experiences seasonal restrictions on commercial and recreational shellfish harvest due to two toxic phytoplankton syndromes, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), which is often referred to as Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP). The biotoxin that causes PSP temporarily interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses in warm-blooded animals, causing symptoms in humans such as, numbness and tingling of the lips, tongue, face and extra difficulty talking, breathing, swallowing and muscle incoordinations. Symptoms develop quickly (within 1-2 hours of consumption) and can result in death. The species that causes PSP in Washington state marine waters is Alexandrium catenella. Alexandrium is usually present in small numbers; however, when environmental conditions are optimum, rapid reproduction occurs. Filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels during these "blooms". Domoic acid poisoning is caused by eating fish, shellfish or crab containing the toxin. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours of digestion. In severe cases, neurological symptoms develop within 48 hours and include headache, dizziness, confusion, disorientation, loss of short-term memory, motor weakness, seizures, profuse respiratory secretions, cardiac arrhythmias, coma and possibly death. Domoic acid produced by marine diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, was first detected on the Pacific coast in 1991 when several pelican and cormorant deaths were link to domoic acid in anchovies. The Washington State Department of Health routinely monitors for PSP and ASP in shellfish from areas throughout the state. Areas are closed for harvest of molluscan shellfish when PSP toxin levels are equal to or exceed 80 ug toxin/100 grams shellfish tissue. Molluscan shellfish areas are closed when domoic acid (DA) levels reach 15 ppm in a composite sample of six shellfish (this level was changed to 20 ppm in 2001), whereas Dungeness crab areas are closed when DA levels reach 30 ppm in three of six individual crab viscera.

The state of Washington routinely experiences seasonal restrictions on commercial and recreational shellfish harvest due to two toxic phytoplankton syndromes, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), which is often referred to as Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP). The biotoxin that causes PSP temporarily interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses in warm-blooded animals, causing symptoms in humans such as, numbness and tingling of the lips, tongue, face and extremities, difficulty talking, breathing, swallowing and muscle incoordinations. Symptoms develop quickly (within 1-2 hours of consumption) and can result in death. The species that causes PSP in Washington state marine waters is Alexandrium catenella. Alexandrium is usually present in small numbers; however, when environmental conditions are optimum, rapid reproduction occurs. Filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels during these "blooms". Domoic acid poisoning is caused by eating fish, shellfish or crab containing the toxin. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours of digestion. In severe cases, neurological symptoms develop within 48 hours and include headache, dizziness, confusion, disorientation, loss of short-term memory, motor weakness, seizures, profuse respiratory secretions, cardiac arrhythmias, coma and possibly death. Domoic acid produced by marine diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, was first detected on the Pacific coast in 1991 when several pelican and cormorant deaths were link to domoic acid in anchovies. Therefore, this dataset only contains PSP data for 1957-1988. The Washington State Department of Health routinely monitors for PSP and ASP in shellfish from areas throughout the state. Areas are closed for harvest of molluscan shellfish when PSP toxin levels are equal to or exceed 80 ug toxin/100 grams shellfish tissue. Molluscan shellfish areas are closed when domoic acid (DA) levels reach 15 ppm in a composite sample of six shellfish (this level was changed to 20 ppm in 2001), whereas Dungeness crab areas are closed when DA levels reach 30 ppm in three of six individual crab viscera.

1) The purpose of this project is to document juvenile salmon habitat occurrence in the Lower Columbia River and estuary, and examine how habitat conditions influence their distribution, health, and abundance. We also want to monitor habitat conditions and indicators of salmon health in these environments. Parameters measured include habitat conditions such as vegetation, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen; salmon diet and prey availability; weight, length, growth rate, lipid content, genetic stock, and chemical contaminant exposure. 2) Lyndal Johnson (NFWSC FTE) is the project lead, and other primary staff involved are Sean Sol and Paul Olson (NWFSC FTEs) and Kate Macneale (NWFSC term employee), but the project also involves other NWFSC FTEs, other term employees, contractors, and staff from other programs (Environmental Chemistry) and Divisions (FE, CB), as well as staff from collaborating agencies (i.e, the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, USGS, PNNL, OHSU). 3) The project involves field surveys in which parameters measured include habitat conditions such as vegetation, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen; salmon diet and prey availability; weight, length, growth rate, lipid content, genetic stock, and chemical contaminant exposure. 4) Specific products include annual reports for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, and manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. 5) Specific audiences include (but are not limited to) the Bonneville Power Administration and other federal, state, and local agencies involved with salmon recovery and environmental management in the Columbia Basin (e.g., EPA, Washington Department of Ecology, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the City of Portland); the NMFS regional office, and other agency and academic scientists. 6) This is a stand-alone project, but it is also a component of a larger monitoring program overseen by the Estuary Partnership in which other tasks are conducted by collaborators in USGS, PNNL, and OHSU. 7) This is an ongoing project with a soft completion deadline; however, there are no final deadlines with specific tasks to be completed on a yearly basis. Concentrations of chemical contaminants in bodies and stomach contents of Chinook salmon from Lower Columbia sampling sites.

The database provides information on prescribed amounts, levels detected in aquatic environments, chemical structure, molecular weight, octanol-water partition coefficients, water solubility, environmental persistence, general toxicity information and specific toxicity levels to five groups of organisms (algae, mollusks, finfish, crustaceans, and select terrestrial animals).

The methods saxiphilin radioreceptor assay, mammalian Na channel, the commercial cell culture MIST kit, mouse lethality bioassay and HPLC analysis were compared for measuring paralytic shellfish toxins. To compare 5 methods of measuring paralytic shellfish toxins. Proportions of individual paralytic shellfish toxins (STX, dcSTX, neoSTX, GTX1, GTX2, GTX3, GTX4, C1, C2, dcGTX2, dcGTX3) to total toxin content of the samples is given where discernable by HPLC analysis.

The state of Washington routinely experiences seasonal restrictions on commercial and recreational shellfish harvest due to two toxic phytoplankton syndromes, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), which is often referred to as Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP). The biotoxin that causes PSP temporarily interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses in warm-blooded animals, causing symptoms in humans such as, numbness and tingling of the lips, tongue, face and extremities, difficulty talking, breathing, swallowing and muscle incoordinations. Symptoms develop quickly (within 1-2 hours of consumption) and can result in death. The species that causes PSP in Washington state marine waters is Alexandrium catenella. Alexandrium is usually present in small numbers; however, when environmental conditions are optimum, rapid reproduction occurs. Filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels during these "blooms". Domoic acid poisoning is caused by eating fish, shellfish or crab containing the toxin. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours of digestion. In severe cases, neurological symptoms develop within 48 hours and include headache, dizziness, confusion, disorientation, loss of short-term memory, motor weakness, seizures, profuse respiratory secretions, cardiac arrhythmias, coma and possibly death. Domoic acid produced by marine diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia, was first detected on the Pacific coast in 1991 when several pelican and cormorant deaths were link to domoic acid in anchovies. The Washington State Department of Health routinely monitors for PSP and ASP in shellfish from areas throughout the state. Areas are closed for harvest of molluscan shellfish when PSP toxin levels are equal to or exceed 80 ug toxin/100 grams shellfish tissue. Molluscan shellfish areas are closed when domoic acid (DA) levels reach 15 ppm in a composite sample of six shellfish (this level was changed to 20 ppm in 2001), whereas Dungeness crab areas are closed when DA levels reach 30 ppm in three of six individual crab viscera.