Mariculture Minute

How practical is the mouse bio assay for shellfish? It’s saved some human lives. But in this episode we take a look at its practicality and future in the state of Alaska.

We continue our chat with Shannon Cellan the Environmental Lab Manager at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska about the mouse bioassay and shellfish. I also go off on some tangents—sifting through legislative documents, taking a peek into some old spycraft and looking back at some old reports on portable tests for paralytic shellfish toxin.

Vocab!

Microgram

Mouse Unit

Litmus

ADEC

High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography-Post Column Oxidation (HPLC-PCOX) method

Links!

Sitka Tribe of Alaska Environmental Research Labhttps://sitkatribe.org/our-services/resource-protection-programs/sta-environmental-research-lab/

Vintage PST Reports Mentioned in Episode (I scanned them—they’re all public documents so I don’t think there’s any copyright issues)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15sGFa7apQQR2bk40QXLM8wEJ4kLwczVO?usp=drive_link

From the CIA Reading Room…https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP90-00806R000201180060-3.pdf

Government Budget & Agency Resources (Alaska)

* Alaska Legislature — DEC Budget Comparison (Senate Enacted)

https://www.legfin.akleg.gov/BudgetReports/LY2025/Operating/Enacted//DEC-TransactionCompare-Senate-Enacted-wD.pdf?1757971239

* State of Alaska FY2025 Governor’s Operating Budget: Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Health RDU/Component Budget Summary

https://omb.alaska.gov/ombfiles/25_budget/DEC/Proposed/7_comp3202.pdf

Shellfish Safety & Monitoring (Public Health / DEC)

* DEC Shellfish Biotoxin Monitoring Planhttps://dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/shellfish/resources/bivalve-shellfish-biotoxin-monitoring-plan/

* DEC Shellfish Permitting Guidehttps://dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/shellfish/resources/permit-guide/

Scientific Methods & Research

* PubMed: High Pressure Liquid Chromatography–Post Column Oxidationhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21919349/

* NOAA Coastal Science — Receptor Binding Assay for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoninghttps://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/advancing-the-receptor-binding-assay-for-multi-species-monitoring-of-paralytic-shellfish-poisoning/

Health & Toxicology

* EMRA — Shellfish Poisoning Overviewhttps://www.emra.org/emresident/article/shellfish-poisoning

* UAA Fact Sheet — Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)https://accscatalog.uaa.alaska.edu/sites/default/files/Fact%20sheet%20PSP%20-%20Public%20Health.pdf

* Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin Newsletter - Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Update ― Alaska, 1993–2021https://epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b2022_05.pdf

Other / Contextual

* Alaska Public — Article on Spy Stuff and Shellfishhttps://alaskapublic.org/news/2021-04-26/alaskas-secret-cold-war-export-shellfish-toxin-for-the-cia

* Reddit Discussion — Source of MilliporeSigma’s Porcine Productshttps://www.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/1pfymyt/what_is_the_source_of_milliporesigmas_porcine/

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

In this episode we talk about the details of testing shellfish for paralytic shellfish toxin. We continue our discussion with Shannon Cellan, the environmental lab manager for the Sitka Tribe of Alaska.

For more information visit: seator.org

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Environmental Research Lab: https://seator.org/lab/

Vocab, Links and More!

Bioassay - https://www2.latech.edu/~wakeman/biomon/bioassay.htm

Functional Groups - https://kids.kiddle.co/Functional_group

Homogenize - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homogenize

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-performance_liquid_chromatography

Microbeta Scintillation Counter - https://biotech.ug.edu.pl/sites/default/files/_nodes/strona-biotechnologia/62586/files/instrukcja_-_mikrobeta_instrument_manual.pdf

Ninety Six Well Plate - https://www.azerscientific.com/96-Well-Plate-PS-U-Bottom-Clear-Non-Sterile-300-l?quantity=1&custcol_azer_ts=0.09

Receptor Binding Assay - https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/advancing-the-receptor-binding-assay-for-multi-species-monitoring-of-paralytic-shellfish-poisoning/

Radioactive Content of Banana- https://livinglfs.org/mutants-vs-radiation-trying-to-understand-radiation-in-lfs/

Saxitoxin - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12300590/

Shuck - https://mvmagazine.com/news/2007/05/01/shucking-shellfish

Sodium Ion Channel - https://www.bme.jhu.edu/news-events/news/all-in-the-family-sodium-and-calcium-ion-channels-share-common-roots/

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - https://archive.org/details/turtlescomicsscene

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

In this episode I talk with Shannon Cellan about paralytic shellfish toxins and her work at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska.

Links!Shellfish Testing Data: https://seator.org/data/

Shellfish Testing Map: https://ahab.portal.aoos.org/#map

Sitka Tribe of Alaska Environmental Research Lab (how to submit shellfish for testing): https://seator.org/lab/

Vocab!

Action Potential - https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/ap.html

Alexandrium - https://accs.uaa.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/NOAA-PMN-Factsheet-Alexandrium_spp..pdf

Cyanobacteria - https://asm.org/articles/2021/september/cyanobacteria-blankets-of-doom-causes-and-effects

Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) - https://www.noaa.gov/what-is-harmful-algal-bloom

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning - https://dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/shellfish/paralytic-shellfish-poisoning/

Poison vs. Toxin - https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/364-poisons-and-toxins

Phytoplankton - https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/phyto.html

Saxitoxin - https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Saxitoxin

Sodium Ion Channel - https://kids.kiddle.co/Ion_channel

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

At a talk on Whale Entanglement—that’s where whales get caught in fishing gear—I asked researcher Michelle Dutro, during the audience Q&A, if kelp farms pose a risk to whales.

Spoiler Alert: there have been no issues with whales and Alaska kelp farms.

Resources Mentioned

Michelle Dutro’s Page on Whalefesthttps://sitkawhalefest.org/speakers/3927/

Report Marine Mammal Entanglements in Alaska (phone numbers)https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/contact/alaska-marine-mammal-stranding-network-24-hour-hotline

Journal article about using fiberglass rods in seaweed farm gearhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144860924000244

From Michelle Dupro’s Lecture – a story about rescuing a humpback from entanglement in Alaskahttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/successful-effort-rescue-entangled-humpback-whale-alaska

Also from Michelle Dupro’s Lecture (contains info on how to respond to an entanglement)https://alaska-training.whaledisentanglement.org

Sitka WhaleFest – Official Websitehttps://sitkawhalefest.org/

NOAA: Approved Weak Inserts for Large Whale Take Reductionhttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/approved-weak-inserts-atlantic-large-whale-take

Study of Fish Farm Entanglements in British Columbia https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10954164/

Sitka WhaleFest 2024 Lecture Videos (the theme was climate change) https://www.youtube.com/@sitkascience/videos

World Wildlife Fund: Seaweed Farming and Whale Entanglement Riskshttps://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/oceans/sustainable-seafood/farmed-seafood/farmed-seaweed/seaweed-farming-avoiding-the-potential-risk-of-entanglement/

Ropes vs. Lines – Explainedhttps://www.boatingwithdawsons.com/blog/difference-rope-line/

TheFishSite.com article about preventing entanglements with mussel farmshttps://thefishsite.com/articles/aquaculture-2016-preventing-entrapments-in-mussel-farming-gear

Explanation of Wood Stock Referencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock

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

In this episode Josie talks to us about her summer internship at an Oyster Farm. Josie is a student at the University of Alaska Southeast’s Alaska Aquaculture program.

Here’s a video of the FlipFarm baskets in action.

Here some links referenced in the show:

FlipFarm — Josie talks about working with this gear: https://www.flipfarmusa.com/

Listen to a podcast with Eric Wyatt, Josie’s Boss: Oyster-ology, Episode 24.

Some information on Oyster Farming from Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingaquaticfarming.mariculturefaq

Blue Starr Oyster’s website: https://bluestarroysters.com

More information from NOAA Fisheries: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/sustainable-pacific-oyster-farming

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 talk about product development, marketing, employment and other kelp things. I really appreciate Kathryn taking the time to talk to Mariculture Minute!

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

In today’s episode we hear from an Anna, an aquaculture intern from UAS Sitka. Anna tells us what it’s like to work at Medvejie Hatchery.

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