SoundHAB: Port Angeles Harbor June Heterosigma bloom data

[Kevin Bright]

Thanks to the persistent efforts of our long time American Gold Seafoods employee Brett Raemer, a large amount of data was collected before, during and after a massive Heterosigma bloom in June. Brett kept up a consistent sampling program while the farm was in the middle of a Heterosigma bloom that was causing heavy fish stock mortalities. When Brett wasn't diving in the fish pens and helping the farm staff deal with the impact of a fish killing Heterosigma bloom, he was running around Port Angeles Harbor collecting water samples and counting slides under the microscope. Not an easy task.

Below is a graph of the data he collected from a single sample station in the harbor. Signs of stress and increased fish mortalities began to occur on the 11th when concentrations of Heterosigma reached 3,500 cells/ml by that afternoon. Afternoon flood tides would push the worst water from the west side of Port Angeles Harbor into the farm site located at the end of Ediz Hook. On the evening of June 14th very bad water (5,100 cell/ml) hit the site and likely did the most damage to the captive fish stocks. This can be seen in some of the data with the PM counts being generally much higher than the AM counts.

Also, this Heterosigma bloom lasted longer than the many I have seen in the past. Cell counts remained above 1,000 per ml for nearly 14 days, fueled by abundant sunlight, the large Fraser River plume and maybe a bit of Victoria's secret.

Kevin

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Kevin Bright, Permit Coordinator
American Gold Seafoods
Anacortes Office: (360) 293-9448
Cell: (360) 391-2409
[http://home.icicleseafoods.com/imagelib/Logos/AGS.gif]

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