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

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.

Through a 2020 catalyst project, staff from the Kachemak Bay NERR expanded research collaborations and completed proof of concept activities to catalyze future research on the mechanisms of paralytic shellfish toxin transfer from forage fish to upper trophic populations - an increasing concern after statewide seabird die-offs and marine mammal strandings.

==Project lead and contact information

Coowe Walker, Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, cmwalker9@alaska.edu

Chris Guo, Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, chguo@alaska.edu

==About the Project Dataset

Dataset Title: Nearshore Fish Collections in Kachemak Bay and Monashka Bay, Alaska

General description of data:

These data encompass the nearshore fish surveys conducted by the Kachemak Bay NERR during summer months in 2021. The primary purpose of the data collection was to assess nearshore fish community structure tied to local site and environmental information, and secondarily to collect forage fish specimen for aquaculture activities. Data collection was conducted for multiple projects within KBNERR's nearshore fish program. Most of the data were collected using non-selective beach seine methods, but some collection was done by hand. The overall data structure replicates a standard format used by the Nearshore Fish Atlas Database curated by the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Search keywords:

nearshore fish, community assemblage, beach seine, Alaska, Kachemak Bay, Monashka Bay, Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

More about the data:

-Metadata: project name, descript/purpose, PI's, funding sources, gear description, fish sampling protocols, environmental sampling protocols, and other relevant information

-Site data: Site ID, latitude, longitude, habitat, and comments

-Event data: Site ID, event ID, raw event ID, date, gear type, time, water temperature, salinity,tide, and comments

-Catch data: Event ID, species name, life stage, count, length, length type, comments

The distributor does not assume liability.

None

Cite this dataset when used as a source: NOAA retains the right to analyze, synthesize and publish summaries of the NERRS/NSC data. The NERRS/NSC retains the right to be fully credited for having collected and process the data. Following academic courtesy standards, the NERR site where the data were collected should be contacted and fully acknowledged in any subsequent publications in which any part of the data are used. The data enclosed within this package/transmission are only as accurate as the quality assurance and quality control procedures that are described in the associated metadata reporting statement allow. The user bears all responsibility for its subsequent use/misuse in any further analyses or comparisons. The Federal government does not assume liability to the Recipient or third persons, nor will the Federal government reimburse or indemnify the Recipient for its liability due to any losses resulting in any way from the use of this data. Requested citation format: NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative(NSC).

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This information is detailed within the project links.

This information is detailed within the project links.