Mariculture Minute

Hi, I’m Jeremiah Murphy. And this is Mariculture Minute with another edition of Kelp The Vote, where we hear what Alaskan politicians think of ocean farming. The November 3rd election is days away. And on that day, Alaskans will be choosing their next governor. There are four candidates for Alaska governor and Republican Treg Taylor, from Anchorage, was kind enough to respond to Mariculture Minute’s brief e-mail survey. I will now read Taylor’s responses to our questions.1. If elected governor, would you do anything to promote kelp production in Alaska?

ANSWER: Absolutely. Alaska has some of the cleanest water, longest coastline, and most entrepreneurial fishermen in the world. Kelp farming won’t replace oil, but it might help diversify Alaska’s economy and give coastal communities another way to make a living. My job as governor would be to make sure permits are predictable, infrastructure is available, and entrepreneurs can spend more time growing kelp and less time growing paperwork.

2. Would you support a statewide program to monitor coastal waters for paralytic shellfish poisoning blooms?

ANSWER: Yes. “Trust me, it looked like a healthy oyster” is not a public health strategy.

Alaska already depends on shellfish, subsistence harvests, tourism, and a growing mariculture industry. Better monitoring means more consumer confidence, better science, and fewer unpleasant surprises. That’s a good investment for both public safety and economic development.

3. What’s your favorite shellfish or seaweed dish?

ANSWER: King crab is hard to beat, but that’s probably the least original answer an Alaskan can give.

As for seaweed, I have to admit most of my experience involves eating it because someone much smarter than me told me it was good for me. But I’ve become a fan of kelp salsa and kelp pickles. Any food that can survive in Alaska’s ocean and still convince people to eat it probably deserves some respect.

4. Can you shuck an oyster?

ANSWER: Yes.

Can I shuck an oyster well? That’s a more complicated question.

Like many Alaskans, I’m confident with tools right up until the moment I discover I should have watched one more instructional video. But I’ve opened enough oysters to know two things: first, they’re delicious; and second, the oyster usually puts up more of a fight than people expect.

So, it sounds like overall Taylor supports kelp and shellfish farms and sees their potential for being a productive part of the Alaskan economy. And he acknowledges how public health plays a role in shellfish harvesting. I like that last part about Alaskans and tools. I can identify after trying to replace the gear shifter on my kid’s mountain bike. I’ll include a recent article from NOAA on how to shuck an Oyster. From my experience, I highly recommend wearing gloves.I’ll also add a link to the Taylor’s campaign website and an interview with Taylor from Alaska Public Media, with more information on what he brings to the governor race.

There are four candidates for Governor on the Alaska governor, and Mariculture Minute has heard from two of them Republican Treg Taylor and Democrat Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins (or JKT as he’s known). We haven’t heard from the two other Republicans: Dave Bronson or Bernadette Wilson yet, but fingers crossed they’ll get back to me before election day. I’m trying to think of some way to compare all their responses.You can find the shell notes at kelpshow dot com. You can listen to mariculture minute on apple podcasts, spotify, YouTube and we’re on instagram at kelpshow. Thanks for listening.SHELL NOTES!

* Talk of Alaska: The Race for Alaska’s Next Governor, with Treg Taylor (Alaska Public Media, Sept. 15, 2026)

* Treg Taylor’s candidate filing for governor (Alaska Division of Elections)

* A Beginner’s Guide to Ordering, Shucking, and Eating Oysters (NOAA Fisheries)

* Treg Taylor for Alaska (campaign website)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

Hi, I’m Jeremiah Murphy. This is Mariculture Minute with another edition of Kelp the Vote! We’re learning where Alaska candidates stand on Ocean farming.

On November 3rd, Alaskans will choose their representative in the U.S. House. The current incumbent Republican Nick Begich has three challengers on the ballot. One of those candidates is Libertarian Jim McDermott from Fairbanks. McDermott was kind enough to respond to Mariculture Minute’s brief survey on ocean farming.

Here’s what I asked:

1) If elected, would you do anything to promote kelp production in Alaska?

2) Would you support a statewide program to monitor coastal waters for paralytic shellfish poisoning blooms?

3) What’s your favorite shellfish or seaweed dish?

4) Can you shuck an oyster?

Jim McDermott answers my questions in the e-mail below, which I will now read:

Hi Jeremiah

As a former director of the Small Business Development Center, Boots-to-Business, and SCORE counselor I am a huge supporter of Alaskan small business owners throughout Alaska. I will be an activist for your small business venture. I will work tirelessly to help Alaskan small businesses regardless of the small business type of legal venture. As a federal politician I will work with Alaskans and the State of Alaska to ensure the potential robust harvesting of our Alaskan resources. Oh, I enjoy scallops but I ended up with 4 stitches on my hand last week trimming branches and therefore I will leave shucking to the experts (lol). Peace.

Jim McDermott, M.S.

Candidate for U.S. House

Fairbanks, Alaska

OUch four stitches–I hope that heals in time for election day. McDermott seems to be focussing on wanting to help ocean farmers as small business owners. While, not getting too deep into the details of mariculture, I can see McDermott’s strategy for wooing the ocean farmer voter. Running a business and making it successful is a challenge for kelp and oyster farming. From developing a business plan that shows how you can make a profit from figuring out all your expenses–boats, employees, farm gear, oyster spat, seeded lines for your kelp. And you have to figure out how to find a market your kelp and oysters–who’s going to buy them? That’s all on top of getting in the water and doing farm stuff. Kelp farmers, oyster farmers, scallop farmers–they got a lot to think about. So, I can see the advantage of a politician trying to appeal to Alaska ocean farmers by having a solid understanding of how to run a small business.McDermott mentions being a SCORE counselor and I had no idea what SCORE was–Service Corps of Retired Executives–it actually sounds like a really cool organization. They counsel new small business owners for free. And the counselors are all volunteers. I’ll put a link in the shell notes. I’ll also link to the Small Business Development Center and Boots to Business program, McDermott mentions.

I’ll also put some links to business plan stuff for both kelp and oyster farming at kelpshow dot com. There’s business plan advice from Connecticut Sea Grant, Alaska SeaGrant, Greenwave, Cool Blue Futures. I think some of them even have worksheets.

And since McDermott brought it up–even though he didn’t injure his hand shucking oysters–I’ll throw in some links about oyster shucking injuries. Again, that’s all at kelpshow dot com. I also have a link to an interview with McDermott for a little more context.

Thanks for listening to Mariculture Minute, you’re source for Alaska Mariculture politics! We’ve heard from a few of the candidates on the ballot now. You can find us on all the podcast places, on Instagram at kelpshow and at kelpshow dot com.THE SHELL NOTES!

Boots to Business - Small Business Administration

Alaska Small Business Development Center

SCORE Alaska | Be The Change 907

https://alaskamariculturecluster.org/announcements/new-alaska-oyster-growers-manual-published/

https://kpedd.org/wp-content/uploads/Kelp-Farming-Guide-w-Annex-5.8-MR.FINAL_.pdf

Business Planning | National Seaweed Hub | A Collaborative Partnership Funded by the National Sea Grant Program | University of Connecticut

Holding Fast: Kelp Farms Seek Broader Market Base - Alaska Business Magazine

Call House members ‘representatives.’ Not ‘congressmen’ or ‘congresswomen.’

Jim McDermott, a Libertarian from Fairbanks, makes top four for Alaska’s U.S. House race

The prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders in the hands of fishermen working as oyster shuckers - PubMed

Free Safe Operating Procedure (Oyster Shucking) Template

The Oyster Shucking Mishap That Left Andrew Zimmern Scarred - Tasting Table

World oyster-shucking champion gives the scoop on injury-free prep

https://alaskapublic.org/news/2026-alaska-elections?utm=homepageheader#/alaska-us-house/race/alaska-us-house/candidate/james-c-jim-mcdermott

https://coolbluefuture.org/guide-to-regenerative-ocean-farming/lesson-5/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

This is Mariculture Minute with another edition of Kelp the Vote! Alaska’s Senator Dan Sullivan is up for re-election. He’s running against Mary Peltola and another candidate who just happens to be another Dan Sullivan. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., from Petersburg is on the ballot–he has a different middle initial from Senator Sullivan and on the ballot his name doesn’t say Incumbent next to it. As an Irish guy myself, these two names seem different enough to me, but some may argue otherwise. Just like Senator Sullivan and Mary Peltola, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. responded to Mariculture Minute’s brief survey on ocean farming in Alaska and I will now read his responses (in italics).

1) If elected, would you do anything to promote kelp production in Alaska?

ANSWER: While that scenario is unlikely, I certainly feel kelp production has an important and growing role in Alaska’s seafood industry.

2) Would you support a statewide program to monitor coastal waters for paralytic shellfish poisoning blooms?

ANSWER: Yes I would. I would also work to re-establish Alaska’s Coastal Zone Management program and Ocean Rangers Program. I also believe that expanding sea otter populations need to be addressed.

3) What’s your favorite shellfish or seaweed dish?

ANSWER: Back in the day, abalone was quite a treat. Dungeness crab is my go to staple, and kelp wise, anything Barnacle makes is superb. If you mean a specific recipe, crab tortillas make my mouth water.

4) Can you shuck an oyster?

Yes, I learned to shuck on Gulf Coast oysters with the traditional saltine & Tabasco. It’s hard to get oysters here on Mitkof Island but I have had occasional luck with the farm down at Blas[h]ke Islands.

Regards,

Dan

**I thought those were really interesting responses. This is my first time hearing about the Ocean Rangers program in Alaska. And it sounds pretty cool–Ocean Rangers, if I got this right were in the water monitoring waste disposal by cruise ships–making sure it was legal. The current governor, Dunleavy, scuttled the Ocean Ranger budget and the program is basically dead. I’ll add a link in the shell notes to a Duke Law article about it all.

And I’ll have some info on the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program which was another cool program that is now defunct.

I’ll also add a link about growing Sea Otter populations in Alaska. I love those guys–but what do they mean for shellfish farmers? Because sea otters love eating shellfish.

And of course, I’ll some links for more information on Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.

Wow, the real winner this election might be Barnacle Seafoods–a lot of the politicians have been mentioning them with my question about favorite seaweed dish.This has been Kelp the Vote! A production of Mariculture minute–your source for Alaskan mariculture politics. Elections are on November 3. You can find Mariculture Minute on Instagram at kelpshow, on all the podcast places and always at kelpshow.com.

SHELL NOTES!

Dan J. Sullivan Jr. and the Senate race

* INTERVIEW: Petersburg’s Dan J. Sullivan will be on the ballot for U.S. Senate. What are his policies? — KFSK / Alaska Public Media, Aug. 3, 2026

* INTERVIEW: To the GOP, he’s a sham candidate. At home, he’s Mr. Sullivan — AP, July 11, 2026

* WHAT’S IN A NAME? Petersburg’s Dan J. Sullivan stays on Alaska’s U.S. Senate ballot after third-place primary finish — Alaska Public Media / Alaska Beacon, Sept. 1, 2026

* THREE DAN SULLIVANS??? Sullivan endorses Sullivan against Sullivan in Alaska — WLNS

Otters, Ocean Rangers and Alaska’s Coastal Zone Management Program

* Investigating the interactions between sea otters and oyster farms — Alaska Sea Grant, April 2023

* Law Thrown Overboard: Direct Democracy and the Alaska Ocean Rangers — Hannah Rogers, Alaska Law Review, 2023

* Alaska’s Coastal Ecology and Infrastructure — UAF International Arctic Research Center, Alaska’s Changing Arctic policy series

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

Danger’s on the line at Jack Stipe’s kelp farm!

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Maricultute Minute presents an exciting new radio drama—brought to life with thrills, sound effects and kelp.

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Sources!

* Oysters of Ireland: Merroir (Part 1 of 3)

* Ireland Oysters exports by country | 2022 | DataA French family dynasty reinvents the oyster - The New York Times

* Ostra Regal Oyster - Oysterater

* Ireland forms collective oyster brand for marketing, promotional purposes | SeafoodSource

* Chinese counterfeiters taking advantage of French dominance in oyster branding | SeafoodSource

* Get shucking! September marks the start of Oyster season in Ireland!

Show Transcript!This is Mariculture Minute. Let’s talk about French Oysters. Sounds classy, right? Nothing more fancy than a plump shellfish along the Champs-Élysées. Well actually, there’s a chance that French Oyster might have a wee bit of an Irish brogue. That’s because Ireland exports a lot of its oysters to France–72% in 2021 according to the World Bank. And while some of these oysters go straight to happy french consumers. A chunk of these Irish oysters go to French Oyster farms where they grow another year or two, in claires or shallow ponds, and are sold as products of France.

This is how it works. Oysters are animals. and they take some time to grow. They start, kind of like how we do–as fertilized eggs, at this point the oysters are microscopic but they slowly get bigger as they go through various stages, the trocophore, the veliger, the pediveliger with its cute little foot, and then finally the oyster grows to something the size of a grain of sand–the spat, from the spat they grow maybe an inch per year, getting their food by filtering nutrients from the water. The oyster’s environment over these months and years can affect their size, shell and even taste.

The oysters eventually build up their muscle and shell to the size of ones we eat–around 3 and half to 4 and a half inches. But It turns out Ireland is a good place to grow baby oysters with its cooler waters. In the past, France has had an issue with young oysters dying from a warm winter with heavy rains.

So French Oyster producers like Gillardeau buy 1-2 inch sized mini-oysters from Ireland and grow them some more, maybe a year or two, in France. In fact, a business in China got in hotwater for skipping the French part and sold Irish oysters fully grown in Ireland as Gillardeau. They even faked Gillardeau’s laser etched branding on the oysters.

For Mariculture Minute, I’m Jeremiah Murphy.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

Kelp the Vote continues with Mary Peltola’s take on Alaska mariculture. Peltola is running to represent Alaska in the U.S. Senate.

The primary is August 18th! Register to Vote! Alaska Voter Registration

More about Mary Peltola, candidate for US Senate

Fighting for Alaska Fisheries - Mary Peltola (campaign website)

Alaska Public Media interview with Mary Peltola - In Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, Peltola takes aim at ‘crooked’ political elites

Mary Peltola’s voting record - Rep. Mary Peltola [D-AK, 2022-2024], former Representative for Alaska - GovTrack.us

Legislation the Mary Peltola supported: H.R.1461 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Coastal Seaweed Farm Act of 2023

News article about Domestic Seafood Production Act proposed by Peltola: Alaskan bill aims to put brakes on US offshore aquaculture

Text - H.R.9226 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Domestic Seafood Production Act

Peltola talks about fighting NOAA’s push for finfish farming - here’s an article about NOAA and finfish farming: Article on NOAA and finfish farming: Aquaculture Highlights, “Growing American Seafood” | NOAA Fisheries

To fight harmful algal blooms (HABs) that cause paralytic shellfish toxins, Peltola’s campaign mentions opposing ocean finfish farms. Peltola’s campaign highlights the connection between HAB’s and finfish farms–here’s a science article to back up that claim: The relationship between salmon (Salmo salar) farming and cell abundance of harmful algal taxa - PubMed

Vocab word! The process by which fish poop from finfish farms causes an overabundance of nutrients in the water is called eutrophication. Article! What is eutrophication? (from NOAA).

Special thanks to the Alaskans for Mary campaign for responding to my questions. Here is their full responses with links they sent:

* As a Senator, would you do anything to promote kelp production in Alaska?

Mary will lead the charge to support Alaska mariculturists and promote kelp production in Alaska – she recently announced her policy plan to Fight for Our Fisheries which includes concrete steps to help strengthen Alaska’s kelp and seaweed industry. In the Senate, she will fight for federal funding to help Alaskans grow and market our mariculture industry to encourage farming non-fish ocean species like kelp and shellfish. Mary believes this industry offers substantial, sustainable financial benefit to our state and offers Alaska another opportunity to lead the Blue economy as we always have.

Specifically, Mary would reintroduce legislation like Keep Finfish Free, to ban NOAA’s continued push for unauthorized finfish aquaculture in federal waters and instead support bills like the Domestic Seafood Production Act, which would invest in local seafood processing infrastructure and allow for the growth of an Alaskan mariculture industry. We have the kelp and the space to grow more, but we need to have processing capacity, product development, and market development.

* Would you support a statewide program to monitor coastal waters for paralytic shellfish poisoning blooms?

Yes, Mary knows paralytic shellfish poisoning blooms and harmful algae pose serious risks to the health of our communities and our seafood industry. That’s why she’s consistently fought to protect our fisheries – she introduced legislation that would have restricted offshore finfish farming, reducing the risk of harmful algal blooms, diseases, and parasites. Mary also fought for over $300,000 of federal funding for monitoring of harmful algal blooms in Alaska.

Mary supports all initiatives aimed at strengthening Alaska fisheries and the communities that rely on them, and in the Senate, she’ll continue fighting for Alaska fisheries, fishermen, and mariculturists.

* What’s your favorite shellfish or seaweed dish?

Dried Alaska seaweed in deer meat stew, and anything with Alaskan Spot Prawns.

* Do you have any other thoughts on Alaskan mariculture?

Mary has been a tireless advocate for strengthening the mariculture industry in Alaska and supporting Alaska fishermen, mariculturists, and coastal communities. She fought for legislation that would direct NOAA and the USDA to evaluate the benefits of coastal seaweed farming and reduce cost barriers for communities across Alaska to incentivize them to participate in coastal seaweed farming.

Mary is focused on restoring abundance and ensuring that Alaska families, communities, and economies are set up well to continue leading the world’s seafood industry. She will always fight to ensure that Alaskans are benefiting from our state’s rich natural resources.

Mary believes that the mariculture industry will be a great addition to our ocean economy. By ensuring fishermen are at the table in the early stage of development, the two industries can be symbiotic. The policy challenges must be approached in parallel and in concert to existing industries and Alaskan activities, like subsistence and traditional harvesting. Most importantly, Alaskans must lead the way, not outside corporate interests.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

Today, we’re talking with Angie Bowers. Professor Bowers teaches at the University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka–Angie teaches all about salmon, seaweed and shellfish. And before entering the halls of academia, Angie had a rich career working at Salmon hatcheries.

Hatchery work is a mix of science, labor and maritime skills. All fascinating things to talk about on their own, but some hatcheries are pretty remote. And that’s what I want to talk about–what’s it like to work in the thick of the wild, the middle of nowhere. Is it scary? What do you do when you’re not working?

The Shell Notes!

Angela Bowers | University of Alaska Southeast

Angie’s e-mail: [email protected]

More information on aquaculture and mariculture courses at UAS Sitka:

* UAS Applied Fisheries program offers new class on Alaska aquaculture - KCAW

* Alaska Mariculture Cluster offers a pearl of hope for supporting coastal communities - KCAW

* University of Alaska Southeast Alaska Aquaculture Semester - AMRTC

* UAS Applied Fisheries | Sitka AK

Info on Sitka and Baranof Island

* Baranof Island - Wikipedia

* Living & Working in Alaska - Sitka

Vocab!

Salmon Enhancement - here’s a link to a recent report on Alaska’s Salmon Enhancement (Alaska Fish and Game):

* Alaska Salmon Fisheries Enhancement Annual Report, 2025 https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/FedAidPDFs/RIR.5J.2026.04.pdf

NSRRA

* https://www.nsraa.org/

* Hidden Falls Hatchery | NSRAA

* Employment | NSRAA

Float Plane

Net Pen

Ponding

Bears on Baranof Island!

* Baranof Island bears get first-ever state count (Alaska Public Media)

* Here’s a video of bears at Hidden Falls.

Here’s some photos Hidden Falls!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

We’re talking space aquaculture. Raising sea bass in lunar waters, growing spirulina on Mars, and maybe even farming oysters in the depths of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Oh and also, did you know seaweed could be used to shield space explorers from cosmic rays?

We’ll be scouring current research and scientific writing. And attempt to go where no one’s gone before, behind a paywall to read an article. Kelp Trek!

SHELL NOTES!

Space Aquaculture: Prospects for Raising Aquatic Vertebrates in a Bioregenerative Life-Support System on a Lunar Base

Aquatic invertebrate protein sources for long-duration space travel - ScienceDirect

SpaceGenFish will study aquaculture to produce fresh food for long-duration space missions | Institut de Ciències del Mar

SpaceGenFish: Spain’s new bet to put farmed fish on the space menu

https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/270105?returnurl=https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/270105

‘The ultimate setting’: Why Japan wants to grow fish in space - Responsible Seafood Advocate

Could astronauts farm fish in space? - BBC Newsround

Beyond Earth: Harnessing Marine Resources for Sustainable Space Colonization - PMC

Algae ‘Bioreactor’ on Space Station Could Make Oxygen, Food for Astronauts - May 8, 2019

Sci-fi bioreactor can make food and water in space from... algae - May 13, 2019

What happened to Photobioreactor - PBR@LSR: the Algae-based Photobioreactor Experiment at the ISS – Operations and Results

This wild bioplastic made of algae just aced a Mars pressure test. Can astronauts use it to build on the Red Planet? | Space

Redditor articulates argument for space seaweed - Crops on Mars : r/Colonizemars

Star Oysters - Harrisburg University Students Design System to Feed Astronauts Headed to Mars

https://spacebotany.uk/blog/shell-we-go-to-space-prototype-system-to-study-oyster-biology-in-microgravity/

Sea bass in space: why fish farms on the moon may be closer than you think | Fish | The Guardian (April 2025)

There’s Water on the Moon? - NASA Science

Extraterrestrial liquid water - Wikipedia

List of extrasolar candidates for liquid water - Wikipedia

Lunar Hatch programme - Space Aquaculture - YouTube

Stand-Alone Monoculture and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) | Home

IN SITU Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

LUNAR HATCH Program: One small swim for fish, a giant leap for human space exploration

Bioreactor - Wikipedia

Tubular Bioreactor Algae Skyscraper: Transalpine Energy Network- eVolo | Architecture Magazine

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekelpshow.substack.com

A mystery begins! In an old 1956 report on Paralytic Shellfish Poison—some interesting information on PSP field test kits is crossed out with a pen. What happened? I don’t have all the answers, but we get some leads. Are you a chemist or biomedical scientist? Maybe you could help piece together some clues and help us find out what happened to public health researcher Mary L. Schafer. Check out the shell notes below, the podcast above and below the shell notes—I’ll pop in this show’s script.

SHELL NOTES!

The Public Health Significance of Paralytic Shellfish Poison: A Review of Literature and Unpublished Research, published in 1956; I made a copy with my camera – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LQUhnpy_G16i8iXsTq_gHNaEJgYBdMpt/view?usp=drive_link

It’s also at Public Health Significance of Paralytic Shellfish Poison - ScienceDirect

The Haptenic Properties of Paralytic Shellfish Poison

First quarterly report: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD0263130.pdf

Third quarterly report: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD0263132.pdf

Seventh quarterly report: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD0276708.pdf

Past Mariculture Minute PST episode: https://thekelpshow.substack.com/p/spies-mice-and-shellfish

I found this article about more recent research on PST field kits in Japan - Immunochromatography Test Kit for Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PSTs) and Transition of PSTs in Scallops - PMC

Mary Schafer’s Obituary (Princeton Clarion) - https://www.pdclarion.com/obituaries/mary-louise-schafer/article_4ed449b4-4c82-5043-bb2b-f235350bd4ec.html

More Mary Schafer Science!

Pesticides in blood | Springer Nature Link

Gas chromatographic detection of D-(-)-2,3-butanediol and butyric acid produced by sporeformers in cream-style corn and canned beef noodle soup: Collaborative study

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0022374960

Mercury in chicken eggs | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (1976)

Pesticides in drinking water. Waters from the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers | Environmental Science & Technology

An Assessment of Some Public Health Problems Resulting from Feeding Poultry Litter to Animals.: Microbiological and Chemical Parameters - ScienceDirect

Purified Shellfish Poison for Bioassay Standardization | Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL | Oxford Academic (1958)

The Robert A Taft Sanitary Engineering Center

Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center, Cincinnati, Ohio - Cincinnati Enquirer Photo Archive - Digital Library

Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center | The Online Books Page

EPISODE SCRIPT!

Welcome to Mariculture Minute. A podcast about seaweed, shellfish and salmon in Alaska. I’m Jeremiah Murphy. And today, a mystery. You guys, whatever happened to Mary L. Schafer?

Back in the episode list you’ll see three Mariculture MInuter episodes devoted to Paralytic Shellfish Toxins. It’s a natural toxin that can sometimes get in shellfish, and it can be deadly, but we have all sorts cool ways test for it. And all commercial shellfish, in Alaska are tested for it. But in those episodes, I refer to an old type written report I found at the library.

The Public Health Significance of Paralytic Shellfish Poison: A Review of Literature and Unpublished Research, published in 1956, with five authors from the the Robert A. Taft Sanitary ENgineering Center in Cincinatti, Ohio, the Milk and Food Program and the military’s Chemical Corps. The report has 37 pages packed with history, science and proposed tools for prevent of paralytic shellfish toxins–lab testing methods to find the nasty toxins in shellfish. Today, we have a few different tests. The state Alaska uses mice for commercial testing, I think they’ve also approved a new chemical test, the local tribe in Sitka uses a receptor binding assay. These are tests in a lab, scientists perform them, these are effective but not very portable. In my research, I’ve been curious if there was ever a portable test, that say an oyster farmer or someone harvesting clams could perform on the spot. Kind of like the old covid tests, remember those? Like a field a test, is there a field test for paralytic shellfish toxin?

Well, in the back of this 1954 report, on page 37, the final paragraph before the bibliography, you might call this last word of these five scientists. That final paragraph is crossed out in blue pen with a big X! It’s crossed out twice. But you can still read it. It says:

“Another method which offers some promise of being useful as a field test is the chromate color test.” OK, I’m going to keep reading but bare in mind I’m no chemist, and it’s going get extremely science-y now.

“Another method which offers some promise of being useful as a field test is the chromate color test. A brief description of this test is as follows: when an aqueous solution containing microgram quantities of shellfish poison and milligram quantitities of chromium (VI) (H2CRO4) is made acidic, a blue color develops which is proportional to the amount of poison present. It has been possible to use a modification of this test in an assay of the acid extract of some species of clams.”

Why was this crossed out? That’s my question. But in the paragraph, there is a citation, number 40. Let’s hit up that bibliography that starts on the next page.

There’s number 40, oh no it’s crossed out, with thick inky lines. But if I take a picture with my phone and zoom it up--I can make out the letters, Schafer, Mary Unpublished Data of SEC.

Why was it crossed out? I mean, my initial impulse was maybe someone was embarrassed the report contained a reference to unpublished data. But there were five authors and it’s typed into the bibliography–it seems like it could been excluded in an early draft. And also the paragraph that’s crossed out doesn’t seem definitive–it seems to suggest something that would benefit from future study. But anyway, I wanted to find out who this Mary Schafer is and I’ll admit. It took me a while I found not a whole lot on the internet. It’s a fairly common name. Until I looked back on the cover report realized the answer was right there in front of me. One of the authors is written as M. L. Schafer from the Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center in Cincinatti Ohio. Sanitary Engineering Center, abbreviates as SEC. The crossed out reference–number 40 in the bibliography, cites Schafer, Mary Unpublished data of SEC. I think this is that same person, this unpublished data was from one of the reports authors–Mary L. Schafer. But why was it crossed out and whatever to this promising chromate color field test.

Well, with this new knowledge, I’ve been able to somewhat Mary L. Schafer’s prolific career in public health. She wrote papers on mercury in chicken eggs, Schafer researched the presence of that pesticide DDT in human blood, an earlier paper about preparing paralytic shellfish toxins for testing, and then in 1960 it looks like Schafer was part of a research team working for the U.S. Army Chemical Corps on the Haptenic Properties of Paralytic Shellfish Poison. There’s a couple declassified progress reports online. I tried looking up the definition of Haptenic–and my college education fails me on this one. I think it has something to do with antigens and immunology. Which makes sense because according to the report one of the purposes of the project was “to lay the ground work for immunization of humans against the poison.” And the poison is paralytic shellfish poison. That was 1960, over 60 years ago. I’ll post the reports in the shell notes –from my reading it looks like they were having trouble immunizing test animals for PSP, but it looks like they were on to something.

Maybe it didn’t pan out, maybe funding stopped, maybe I’m not very good at reading scientific papers from 1960. But I’m curious where that work led.

But in terms of Schafer, I found some of her papers going into the 80s. It looks like she did some research into food poisoning of canned goods.

And I found her obituary, in the Princeton Clarion. She passed away at 87 years old in 2003. I’ll read…

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