IMIS

This long-term project (1996-2006) was carried out by the National Research Council of Canada with the cooperation of Dalhousie University Oceanography Department with additional funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Aquanet. The goals were to determine the distribution of harmful phytoplankton, to monitor for novel toxins and identify their planktonic origin, to investigate methods for the early detection of toxic algal blooms and to evaluate and improve monitoring strategies by developing and implementing new technology. Samples were collected for phytoplankton profiles and phytotoxin analysis. Associated physicochemical and optical sensing data were collected concurrently to monitor the occurrence of harmful algae blooms. Harmful species responsible for the production of PSP (paralytic shellfish poisoning), DSP (diarrhetic shellfish poisoning), ASP (amnesic shellfish poisoning) and spirolides were enumerated and correlated with toxin concentrations. Clonal isolates were established from net tow samples that contained toxic species. Only the pipe sample phytoplankton profile data is included in this data set. Sampling was conducted weekly from May to September at selected locations. Two sites consistently sampled were: one inside a mussel farm and a second located just outside the mussel lines. Plankton samples were collected using a pipe sampler to sample the entire water column. Plankton samples were transported on ice back to the lab for analysis including qualitative taxonomy of dinoflagellates and diatoms. Two common toxic dinoflagellates known to co-occur in this area are Alexandrium tamarense and A. ostenfeldii. These two species cannot be distinguished with a light microscope. Confirmational genetic analysis was conducted to provide an estimate of their abundance ratios however in this dataset the two species were combined. The OBIS collection contains species distribution information.