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Red tide toxin levels reach record levels in Maine

By Clarke Canfield, Associated Press Writer - June 17, 2005

PORTLAND, Maine --Toxin levels in some shellfish have reached record highs as the red tide maintains its grip along the coast of Maine.

The red tide outbreak is particularly worrisome not only because of the high toxin levels, but also because it is reaching into waters where it has never appeared before. Additionally, a number of gulls and eider ducks have been dying along the coast -- possibly from eating tainted clams and mussels.

For now, the outbreak shows no signs of letting up, said Darcie Couture, director of biotoxin monitoring with the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

The cold and damp weather the state has experienced over the past several days favors the continued growth of the algae bloom, Couture said.

"It could prolong (the red tide) for quite some time, conceivably through the summer," she said.

The worst red tide in decades struck New England from eastern Maine to Massachusetts' Cape Cod this month after a series of nor'easters in May drove the algae toward shore from offshore waters, forcing the closure of hundreds of miles of coastline to shellfish harvesting.

The algae shows up in filter-feeding bivalves such as clams, mussels and oysters, and can make people sick or even be fatal in high enough doses.

The outbreak has devastated hundreds of clam diggers, mussel harvesters and oyster growers. Maine's congressional delegation said Friday it has written a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez appealing for aid to shellfish fishermen.

"It can take several weeks for shellfish to rid themselves of this toxin once the red tide is gone, but added to the duration of the red tide itself, this unknown period of closure will almost certainly create a disaster for our shellfish industry," the letter reads.

Gov. John Baldacci on Friday issued a red tide emergenecy proclamation in an effort to gain federal assistance for the industry. Baldacci last week declared an economic emergency for Maine's shellfish industry because of the red tide.

In Maine, the DMR samples shellfish at about 150 sites. When toxin levels at a site approach the federal threshold of 80 micrograms of toxins per 100 grams of shellfish meat, the state generally shuts down those waters to shellfish harvesting.

The toxin ends up in the digestive gland of filter-feeding shellfish, biologists say. It does not affect lobsters, crabs and other seafood, and consumers don't have to worry about scallops because only the scallop muscle -- but not its stomach -- is eaten.

The highest toxin measurement in Maine was recorded in Harpswell, where the level reached more than 4,300 micrograms of toxins per 100 grams of mussel meat -- or more than 50 times over the state's threshold.

"There are places close to that, we have readings of 3,000 and 1,500," she said. "We're also looking at places that have 150 to 200, so we're looking at a whole range of toxicity."

The Harpswell reading of 4,300 micrograms is believed to be the highest level ever found in coastal waters, but an even higher level of more than 7,000 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish meat has been recorded in the past on offshore buoys, Couture said.

Another possible sign of the high toxicity is that people are finding dead gulls and eider ducks in coastal areas, which might be dying after eating tainted mussels or clams, she said.

Couture said people don't need to worry about shellfish sold at restaurants or in retail stores. The state's comprehensive testing program ensures that any shellfish sold to the public comes from safe areas, she said.