Research confirms saxitoxin poisoning in seals and the presence of harmful algal species. In August 2025, two biologists from NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region Protected Resources Division traveled to St. George Island to conduct routine maintenance on NOAA facilities. Upon their arrival, they began receiving reports from residents about a high number of northern fur seals found […]
Analysis of bowhead whale poop shows that more toxins from typically warm-water toxic algae species are entering Arctic food webs as northern oceans warm and lose sea ice. The findings are based on nearly 20 years of feces samples collected from bowhead whales harvested for subsistence purposes by Alaska Native people living on the Beaufort […]
Woods Hole, Mass. (July 10, 2024) — In summer of 2022, a research cruise detected a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the Bering Strait region of western Alaska. This expedition provided a dramatic example of science utilizing new technology to track a neurotoxic HAB, and effectively communicate information that protects remote coastal communities in […]
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have long been prevalent in the waters off the Kodiak archipelago, with the toxins produced by species such as Alexandrium catenella historically posing a threat to the health of communities. Alexandrium produces saxitoxin, a neurotoxin which can accumulate in shellfish and cause severe illness or death in those who consume it. The prevalence of Alexandrium blooms is likely […]