Accumulation and depuration of paralytic shellfish toxins by Australian abalone Haliotis rubra: Conclusive association with Gymnodinium catenatum dinoflagellate blooms

摘要

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) were detected in abalone (Haliotis rubra) in April 2011 in south-east Tasmania, Australia, during a dinoflagellate bloom of Gymnodinium catenatum. This led to restrictions on abalone harvesting and triggered continued PST monitoring by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC-FLD) of abalone and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), and concurrent phytoplankton monitoring, between 2011 and 2013. PST up to 2437 lig STX mu q kg(-1) (three times the bivalve regulatory limit) were confirmed in abalone viscera, with toxicity up to 586 pg STX mu q kg(-1) in the muscular foot (mainly doSTX and minor proportions of SIX and doSTX). Mussels accumulated PST at a faster rate than abalone which suggests they can serve as sentinels of PST accumulation to inform abalone risk management protocols.