Division of Aquaculture 600 South Calhoun Street, Suite 217 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300 Main Office: 850-617-7600 Aquaculture_W[email protected]www.FreshFromFlorida.com FDACS-P-00080 - Technical Bulletin #01 - Revised January 2019 Safeguarding the public and supporting Florida’s agricultural economy. Red Tide Facts • Filter feeding shellfish (clams, oysters and mussels) concentrate red tide associated toxins. • Red tide has been observed in Florida for hundreds of years. • Red tide associated toxins can kill fish, birds, marine mammals and shellfish, and can cause Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning in humans. • Commonly occurs fall to spring along the southwest Florida coast. • Shellfish harvesting areas are closed when red tide cell counts exceed 5,000 per liter. • Once red tide diminishes, shellfish require approximately two to six weeks to purge toxins from their tissues. • Cooking contaminated shellfish does not reduce the toxicity of Karenia brevis cells as they remain toxic even following cell death. Background and Monitoring Program for Florida Overview: History and Regulatory Programs Red Tide Monitoring Program Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning Marine Biotoxin Contingency Plan Economic Impacts of Red Tide Mouse Bioassay Red tides are harmful algal blooms (HABs) that occur when toxic microscopic algae in seawater proliferate to higher than normal concentrations (bloom), often discoloring the water red, brown, green, or yellow. More than 40 species of toxic microalgae live in the Gulf of Mexico. Karenia brevis is the most prevalent toxic species in the Gulf of Mexico and is primarily responsible for red tide in Florida. K. brevis was identified in 1947, but anecdotal reports of red tide effects in the Gulf of Mexico date back to the 1530s. Florida red tides bloom in the Gulf of Mexico almost every year, generally in the late summer or early fall. They are most common off the central and southwest coasts of Florida, but may occur anywhere along Gulf and south- eastern Atlantic coasts from Texas to North Carolina, depending on environmental conditions, such as ocean currents and wind direction. Most blooms last three to five months and may affect hundreds of square miles. Occasionally, blooms continue sporadically for prolonged periods and may affect thousands of square miles. During red tide events, filter-feeding bivalves accumulate K. brevis toxins to levels unsafe for human consumption. History and Regulatory Programs The goal of the division’s shellfish harvesting area classification and biotoxin control management program is to provide maximum utilization of shellfish resources, while minimizing the risk of shellfish borne illness. To achieve this goal, and be able to ship shellfish nationally and internationally, Florida is a member of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC). The ISSC is an association of states, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Marine Fisheries Service, Environmental Protection Agency and shellfish industry. FDA’s role is to review methods for classification and management of shellfish areas proposed by the ISSC and incorporate those methods consistent with standard health practice into the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) Model Ordinance. FDA is also responsible for the annual review of each state’s shellfish control program. As an ISSC member, Florida must adopt laws and regulations for the sanitary control of the shellfish industry, including shellfish harvesting area surveys and ensuring that shellfish are grown, harvested and processed in a safe and sanitary manner. An essential part of that responsibility is the operation and maintenance of 1,200 water quality monitoring stations in 37 shellfish harvesting areas, encompassing over 1.4 million acres of coastal waters. Private industries are responsible for documenting the safe source and sanitary processing of all shellfish harvested and sold within the state. The division, FDA and the shellfish industry must fulfill their responsibilities to a high degree, thus ensuring the shellfish harvested in Florida are safe and wholesome. Massive fish kill caused by red tide along west coast of Florida FDACS-P-00080 Rev. 01/2019
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History and Regulatory Programs...kill fish, birds, marine mammals and shellfish, and can cause Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning in humans. •Commonly occurs fall to spring along the
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