Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in North Atlantic right whalesEubalaena glacialisand their zooplankton prey in the Bay of Fundy, Canada

• Published in: Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 2006-01, Vol.306, p.303-313
• Main Authors: Doucette, G. J., Cembella, A. D., Martin, J. L., Michaud, J., Cole, T. V. N., Rolland, R. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algal blooms; Calving; Feces; Ocean fisheries; Oceans; Shellfish; Toxicity; Toxins; Whales; Zooplankton
• ISSN: 0171-8630; 1616-1599

Intensive study of the highly endangered western North Atlantic right whaleEubalaena glacialisover the past 25 yr has yielded evidence of reproductive dysfunction and compromised health, particularly in the late 1990s. Among the factors identified as potentially contributing to this phenomenon, exposure to marine biotoxins associated with harmful algal blooms has received little consideration. We assessed the occurrence of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins (saxitoxin [STX] analogues) inE. glacialisand in the co-occurring zooplankton assemblage dominated byCalanus finmarchicus, the primary food for this whale species in the North Atlantic. Samples ofE. glacialisfeces collected during August/September 2001 from at least 11 different whales in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, tested positive for PSP toxins using a receptor binding assay and were also quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, indicating concentrations as high as 0.5 μg STX equivalents g–1of feces. Zooplankton samples collected in the Bay of Fundy during the same period contained similar levels of PSP toxins by weight using both methods. Additional data from the Bay of Fundy revealed the presence of PSP toxin-producing dinoflagellates,Alexandriumspp., immediately before and during the sampling period. Associated PSP toxin levels in shellfish from nearby Cheney Passage, New Brunswick, exceeded regulatory limits over the same time frame. These findings provide direct evidence for the occurrence of PSP toxins inE. glacialisand suggest that trophic transfer of marine algal toxins is a factor contributing to the failure of the endangered North Atlantic right whale population to recover.