Microcystin Toxin in Fish and Freshwater Mussels

Background:

In an effort to better inform the public and tribal communities regarding potentially toxic algae (cyanobacteria) blooms, and toxins affecting fish and freshwater mussels, the Klamath Basin Monitoring Program has developed an on-line interactive map for tracking blue-green algae and toxins throughout the Klamath Basin. This work is supported by  the Public Health component of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA)  funded by PacifiCorp. The public health monitoring region encompasses the mainstem Klamath River from Link Dam in Oregon to the estuary, in California including several mainstem tributaries. The monitoring is part of a multi-agency effort by the Bureau of Reclamation, PacifiCorp, Karuk, and Yurok Tribes to provide data on cyanobacteria and related toxins to support public health decisions.

During the summer months in the Klamath Basin blooms of toxigenic algae (Microcystis aeruginosa) and other related species of algae (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Anabaena flos-aquae, and Oscillatoria sp.) are common in Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs. M. aeruginosa produces a toxin, microcystin, a hepatotoxin which affects the liver. The toxigenic algae has been documented hundreds of miles downstream and in some years is found near the mouth of the Klamath River. Large blooms of M. aeruginosa create surface scums which may cover the entire surface of a waterbody (For a detailed map of monitoring locations and bloom conditions, please refer to the Blue-green Algae Tracker). Organisms such as fresh water mussels and yellow perch can ingest M. aeruginosa and there is the potential that the toxin can bioaccumulate in the tissue.

Freshwater Mussels

In 2007 and 2009, the Karuk and Yurok Tribes conducted tissue analysis of fresh water mussels collected from the Klamath River mainstem. The results indicated a seasonal pattern of microcystin congeners beginning in July and persisting through December. In 2009 levels of microcystin congeners found in fresh water mussels frequently exceed the lifetime* total daily intake for a child weighing 22 pounds. In some cases, a single meal of fresh water mussels posed an acute* exceedance of toxin. The 2009, study also revealed that, while concentrations of microcystin in the water column were below levels of concern, substantial microcystin bioaccumulation occurred at all study locations. The results of this study, partially funded by the KHSA monitoring, suggest that consumption of freshwater mussels from the Klamath River mainstem should be exercised with extreme caution. 

 


For more information please refer to the following report:

*Acute Total Intake (250 ppb): single exposure event (e.g. week-end fishing trip). Seasonal Total Daily Intake (40 ppb): ongoing, “daily” exposure for several weeks during the cyanobacterial season. Lifetime Total Daily Intake (4 ppb): ongoing “daily” exposure for many months in settings where microcystin-producing cyanobacteria proliferate perennially.

Fish Tissue

In contrast to fresh water mussels, yellow perch sampled in Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs in 2009 had no detectable levels of microcystin.  However, the results from yellow perch sampled from Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs have varied for microcystin over the past few years. Sampling conducted in the summer of 2007, found levels of microcystin in yellow perch fish tissue collected from Copco and Iron Gate reservoirs, exceeding the advisory level of 26 nanograms total microcystin/gram tissue. In 2008 PacifiCorp sampled yellow perch and crappie from Iron Gate and Copco Reservoirs, and rainbow trout from the Klamath River before, during, and after the bloom season; all tissue samples were non-detect for microcystin.

The presence of microcystin in fish tissue remains a health concern for the public and tribal communities. 

It has been proposed that the 2010 tissue sampling include salmon and steelhead liver and fillet samples from sampling locations on the mainstem Klamath, spanning the estuary to the hatchery. However, due to the unseasonably cool temperatures and late rains, the bloom is off to a slow start. 

Fish and Shellfish Tracker - Beta

The Fish and Shellfish Tracker current contains data from 2009. We plan to expand the Tracker and more data becomes available.

How to use the Tracker

Select a Matrix and Sampling Date and scroll down to select the desired location, click on the location name. The tracker will automatically navigate to the region of interest. Click on the balloon to see a graph of the cell counts and toxin level for that location

 

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Klamath TAP

Klamath Basin Water Quality Improvement Tracking and Accounting Program

Webinar / Documents

Klamath TAP Webinar (large file)

Klamath TAP Vision

About Klamath TAP

The Klamath Tracking and Accounting Program (Klamath TAP) is an evolving program intended to increase the pace and reduce the cost of improving Klamath Basin water quality to support all water-related uses in the Basin, including the recovery of native fish. The Klamath TAP, which will be uniformly implemented in both California and Oregon, will create a framework that directly relates benefits from specific restoration actions to progress towards meeting basin-widewater quality goals for eutrophic pollutants and temperature defined in Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).   

The US Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, California North Coast Water Quality Control Board, PacifiCorp, and our partners have initiated development of Klamath TAP and seek additional partners to help design the program.  We invite interested parties to watch this webinar to learn more about the program.  In particular, we hope to engage entities who want/should be involved in the early stages of designing this program – such as restoration project sponsors, funders, regulated entities, and others.

Goals and Objectives

The proposed goal of the Klamath TAP is to increase the pace and reduce the cost of improving Klamath Basin water quality to support all water-related uses in the Basin, including, but not limited to, the recovery of native fish.

  • Increase the effectiveness of actions and investments to restore water quality for protection of all beneficial uses by providing a framework to (a) identify opportunities to improve water quality, (b) facilitate basinwide prioritization and implementation of those opportunities, and (c) coordinate funding to address large-scale opportunities.
  • Create a framework that is applicable basin-wide, directly relates benefits from specific restoration actions to progress towards meeting eutrophic pollutants and temperature basin-wide water quality goals defined in Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), is uniformly implemented in both California and Oregon, and is consistent with Oregon water quality trading policy.
  • Enable public and private funders to invest in restoration projects with confidence, knowing the Klamath TAP transparently and comparably tracks water quality benefits from projects implemented (a) to meet regulatory requirements, (b) through government funded restoration and voluntary incentive programs, and (c) by private conservation initiatives.
  • Provide a transparent process and robust tools that produce consistent results, are routinely adapted to incorporate the best available scientific information, and inform decisions ranging from individual project design to basin-wide policy.
  • Enable water quality trading whereby regulated entities can purchase water quality offsets from entities capable of cost-effectively creating water quality improvements.

Contact

Clayton Creager - North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
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