Solid phase adsorbent and toxin tracking (SPATT) enables temporally and spatially integrated monitoring of biotoxins in aquatic environments. Monitoring using two adsorbent resins was performed over a four-month period at Lough Hyne Marine Reserve, Ireland. A range of Diarhettic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) toxins were detected from SPATT extracts throughout the study period. The majority of biotoxins were detected in the top 20-30 m of the water column and a spike in toxin accumulation was measured during August 2010. Phytoplankton analysis confirmed the presence of toxin-producing species Dinophysis acuta and Dinophysis acuminata during the bloom. SPATT has the potential to provide useful information on phycotoxin distribution in the water column; enabling evidence-based decisions regarding appropriate depths for obtaining phytoplankton and shellfish samples in marine biotoxin monitoring programmes.
Active sampling was performed continuously over 7-days and high quantities of toxins were successfully accumulated in the HP-20 resin, okadaic acid (similar to 13 mg), dinophysis toxin-2 (similar to 29 mg), pectenotoxin-2 (similar to 20 mg) and pectenotoxin-2-seco acid (similar to 6 mg) proving this an effective method for accumulating DSP toxins from the marine environment. The method has potential application as a tool for assessing toxin profiles at proposed shellfish harvesting sites. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.