Source of Paralytic Shellfish Toxin in the Bay of Fundy

Abstract

Seasonal rise in shellfish toxicity in the Bay of Fundy in 1961 was coincident with increased abundance of a marine dinoflagellate, Gonyaulax tamarensis, and the appearance of toxin in plankton extracts. Experiments with unialgal cultures of G. tamarensis isolated from the Bay of Fundy provided overwhelming evidence that it is the primary source of toxin in shellfish in this area and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. G. tamarensis is widely distributed in the North Atlantic and there is evidence of toxic and non-toxic strains of this species.