Wildlife rehabilitation center trained on method for testing seabirds for HAB toxin poisoning

Staff from a regional wildlife rehabilitation center learned how to test seabirds that become stranded on Southern California beaches for poisoning by harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins during a SCCWRP-led training in April.

The training, held at Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, provided hands-on training on how to handle, extract, and analyze samples to test for domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by a HAB species known as Pseudo-nitzschia that can cause seizures, disorientation, beach strandings and even death in marine mammals and seabirds. The test is based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods originally developed for water samples.

While the impacts of domoic acid on marine mammals have been well-documented, researchers know far less about the interactions between HABs and seabirds. By building in-house capacity, researchers hope rehabilitation centers can better assess the severity of mass poisoning events and determine the most effective treatment strategies. The data also are expected to help inform the development of early warning systems for mass seabird stranding events and improve understanding about how domoic acid is transferred through marine food webs.

SCCWRP is continuing to provide technical support to ensure successful adoption and use of the method.