Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) Monitoring
Overview
Historically, Kodiak Island has had elevated levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), an illness caused by eating shellfish contaminated with toxins from a harmful algal bloom. These toxins can cause neurological symptoms and may lead to respiratory arrest.
Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak is collaborating with two organizations to learn more about the PSP levels in butter clams within the city of Kodiak. In 2016, Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak started digging butter clams on Near Island as part of a collaborative effort with Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program. These clams are collected, shucked and then frozen. The samples are then sent to North Carolina for analysis.
In 2017, Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak started collaborating with the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR, http://www.seator.org/) to learn more about the PSP levels in the city of Kodiak. Butter clams are collected and shipped whole to SEATOR, where they are analyzed in the lab using a receptor binding assay test. In 2019, Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak started collaborating with Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) to learn more about PSP levels on the Kodiak Road System. Thanks to KANA for shipping clams from our sampling site to SEATOR for analysis.
Please see the following materials from SEATOR for more information on PSP:
Recent PSP Levels
See the charts below for recorded PSP levels on Kodiak at Near Island, North Trident Basin. This section will be updated with new data when available.
