Recent blooming of Pyrodinium bahamense var compressum in Ambon Bay, eastren Indonesia

In Indonesia, Pyrodinium bahamense var.compressum was first recorded in Kao Bay in 1994. In1996 the illness of more than 30 people and the deathof 3 children after consuming shellfish from AmbonBay was reported. Until the shellfish poisoningcases was reported, occurrences and blooms of P.bahamense, neither its toxic events had never beenknown in Ambon Bay. It has generated monitoringon the species occurrence which has been carried outsince 2008. The bloom of P. bahamense was detectedin July 2012. During the bloom event, concentrationsof phosphate, nitrate and dissolved oxygen weremeasured. Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity,turbidity and chlorophyll a were also measuredduring the red tide. Cells of P. bahamense, the PSPresponsible species, were recorded abundant up to2,496 cells/ml when red-brown water discolorationwas observed in Ambon Bay. After the toxic red tide,human illness of 7 people due to shellfish consumptionwas also reported. In addition, the bloom event hasdamaged aquaculture products, due to mass mortalityof cultured fish in inner Ambon Bay. Marine Research in Indonesia. 2013. Vol. 38 No.1. Hal: 31-37