As part of a pilot initiative known as “beach hazard statements,” NOAA’s National Weather Service in Tampa Bay began to issue red tide warnings to beachgoers in an area where a bloom of algae is responsible for causing fish kills and breathing problems in people. While the announcement is new, the forecasts themselves are well [...]
A recent study demonstrates a new approach that may allow scientists to better approximate the risks for bacteria to develop resistance to different families of antibiotics. In the study, conducted by NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, resistance genes from E. [...]
NOAA Fisheries now allows clam harvests in an area of Georges Bank off limits for the last 22 years to protect people from getting ill from algae toxins. Their decision centers on a two-part testing protocol that commercial fishermen and labs will use before bringing a catch to market. Once the haul arrives at the dock, [...]
On Nov 19, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) researchers met with local partners working on restoring Lake Erie’s ecosystem to review the unusual 2012 algal blooms, and assess the 2012 bloom forecast. This year there were unusual blooms along the center of the lake, both in late winter and in early summer. The [...]
Some homes in the United States still teem with potentially dangerous chemicals that were banned years ago, researchers have found. And they’re coming from the most comfortable seat in the house. For example, the flame retardant PentaBDE, which belongs to a group of compounds called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and was used to make sofas [...]
James Morris, a National Ocean Service ecologist, works in the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C., conducting research on invasive species, aquaculture, and other issues that affect coastal ecosystems. The center is one of the NOS National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. In 2011, Morris received the Presidential Early Career Award [...]
It was 25 years ago this month that more than a hundred people were sickened on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Three people died. Days later it was confirmed they suffered from a domoic acid in locally cultivated mussels. Domoic acid in high levels can cause immediate neurotoxin reactions like spasms or seizures or memory loss, [...]
Dr. Tyler Smith, a scientist with the University of the Virgin Islands Center for Marine and Environmental Studies in St. Thomas, was recently awarded a NOAA grant to study to understand factors influencing the occurrence of ciguatera fish poisoning and develop methods to predict outbreaks. Dr. Smith is partnering with colleagues from around the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida [...]