OCCURRENCE OF DINOFLAGELLATE ALEXANDRIUM-TAMARENSE, A CAUSATIVE ORGANISM OF PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISONING IN CHINHAE BAY, KOREA

A paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) incident caused by consumption of the mussel Mytilus edulis occurred for the first time in Korea in April 1986. Weekly water samplings were carried out during the period from 7 March to 21 April 1989 in Chinhae Bay, Korea, in order to identify the causative organism. The temperature characteristics of the water column indicated three different hydrological regimes: well mixed (up to 7 March), weakly stratified (17-31 March) and stratified (7-21 April). Toxicity of the phytoplankton was detected during the weakly stratified period, but only in the 10-50 mum phytoplankton size fraction. This study presents the occurrence of the toxigenic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense, which is a causative organism of PSP, in Korean coastal waters. Its biomass varied at different depths in the water column, ranging from 200 to 8000 cells l-1 in the water column. The weekly fluctuation of A.tamarense toxicity was similar to that of mussel toxicity.