Paralytic shellfish poisoning moves beyond Alaska’s shoreline

Researchers are finding the poisonous toxin throughout the year, and in animals away from the ocean.

AI Comment from GPT 4.1:

Recent observations and studies have consistently reported elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in shellfish throughout coastal Alaska, with risks varying across different locations and seasons. In particular, the Knik Tribe’s monitoring has found extremely high toxin levels—up to 50 times the FDA limit—in some subsistence shellfish samples from the Aleutians, including Sand Point. Notably, earlier findings from Sand Point in January 2015 showed PSP toxins above safety thresholds even during winter months, which challenges the common belief that shellfish are only dangerous in the summer.> Observations from across Alaska have documented PSP-related threats to humans and wildlife: marine die-offs are being investigated for links to PSP toxins, and toxins have been detected in a range of species, from clams and mussels (Chignik Lagoon and Sand Point, June 2023) to predatory fishes, with concerns that the toxins are moving through the food web—from plankton to top predators like whales and, as now reported, even found inland in animals like wolves and bears. > The detection of saxitoxin (the primary PSP toxin) far from the coast, associated with cyanobacteria in freshwater, is new for Alaska but echoes patterns seen in warmer areas of North America. This expanding risk underlines the importance of regular testing, as official advisories note that PSP toxin levels can change rapidly among species and sites, and human cases have periodically occurred, as in Perryville in 2019.> These findings support the ongoing advice for all residents and subsistence harvesters to seek safety through rigorous testing, regardless of the season or location, echoing the main post's message that toxin risks are now a year-round concern.