Assessing Research Efforts and Emerging Issues Concerning Forage Fish Exposure to Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Alaska - NERRS/NSC(NERRS Science Collaborative)

Description

Harmful algal bloom (HAB) events are becoming more common in Alaska as ocean temperatures rise due to climate change. These events carry the risk of producing dangerous levels of HAB-derived toxins in the marine environment, including paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). PSTs pose a serious threat to uppertrophic populations (e.g., marine mammals, sea birds, predator fish), where a likely mechanism of delivery is via consumption of forage fish that have themselves been exposed to PSTs. Recent statewide occurrences, such as seabird die-off and marine mammal stranding events, have raised concerns about this pathway, highlighting a need to better understand its mechanisms. The issue is a lack of data-driven information regarding PST exposure levels in forage fish due to field data being difficult to obtain. This project sought to facilitate new collaborative science that addressed this issue by becoming better positioned to pursue future funding opportunities (phase I). Our approach was to conduct 'proof of concept' activities for the husbandry of Alaska forage fish species while simultaneously engaging with end users. We used these inputs to inform a proposal that would secure funds for continuation of this effort as a multi-year research project (phase II). As the only National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in Alaska, the Kachemak Bay NERR was able to act as a collaborative platform bringing necessary expertise within Alaska and nationally to the planning table, as well as engage with end users to ensure that research findings met user needs at various scales.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 https://nerrssciencecollaborative.org/project/walker20
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/69058
0 Website listed for Office for Coastal Management https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/ocm/dmp/pdf/69058.pdf
0 project website for NSC http://www.nerrssciencecollaborative.org/project/Walker20
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 project GIS website Data are available via the Alaska Fisheries Nearshore Fish Atlas Database maintained by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center link To find the project data, select 'Guo - KBNERR' under the POC tab and then navigate the map to find specific datasets of interest. https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/mapping/sz/index.html?tab=fa&layout=h2
0 https://nerrssciencecollaborative.org/project/walker20
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/69058
0 project GIS website Data are available via the Alaska Fisheries Nearshore Fish Atlas Database maintained by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center link To find the project data, select 'Guo - KBNERR' under the POC tab and then navigate the map to find specific datasets of interest. https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/mapping/sz/index.html?tab=fa&layout=h2
0 project website for NSC http://www.nerrssciencecollaborative.org/project/Walker20
0 Website listed for Office for Coastal Management https://www.coast.noaa.gov/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/ocm/dmp/pdf/69058.pdf

Tags

  • nerrs
  • office of coastal management
  • national ocean service
  • nearshore fish
  • oceans
  • noaa
  • beach seine
  • water quality
  • toxin concentration
  • doc/noaa/nos/ocm
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • monashka bay
  • kachemak bay nerr
  • harmful algal bloom (habs)
  • community assemblage
  • ak

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Categories