APPARENT BIOACCUMULATION OF CYANOBACTERIAL TOXINS BY SPORTFISH
FROM SEVERAL LAKES IN WESTERN WASHINGTON STATE
John P. Berry1, Gabriela Hannach2, Adam Cuoto3, Rich Eltrich3, Kathy Hamel4, Joan Hardy5, Ray
Hanowell6, Don Russell7 and Art Johnson4
1
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL
2
King County Department of Health, Seattle, WA
3
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA
4
Washington State Department of Ecology, Lacey, WA
5
Washington State Department of Health, Olympia, WA
6
Tacoma Pierce County Health Department, Tacoma, WA
7
Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed Council, University Place, WA
Toxins from freshwater cyanobacteria (“blue-green algae”) have been widely associated with
various, potential threats to human health. In particular, direct exposure to these toxins via
drinking water and other related routes has been implicated. However, growing evidence suggests
that these toxins may also accumulate in freshwater food-webs, including trophic transfer to
species of fish and other animals consumed by humans, posing a largely uncharacterized threat to
human health. In order to investigate the potential for exposure to cyanobacterial toxins in the
food-web, we quantitatively analyzed the neurotoxic anatoxin-a and hepatotoxic microcystins in
various species of sportfish collected from lakes in several counties (Pierce, Jefferson and
Snohomish) of western Washington State where “blooms” or general dominance of relevant
genera of cyanobacteria, including Anabaena, Microcystis and Aphanizomenon, have been
previously reported. Samples of both muscle and liver tissue from fish caught in these lakes were
extracted, and subsequently analyzed for anatoxin-a and microcystins by appropriate methods for
each, including HPLC-FL and ELISA, respectively. Cyanobacterial toxins were detected in both
liver and muscle from all six species of fish, including Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Kokanee,
Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass and Largescale Sucker, collected from all six of the lakes
investigated. Measured concentrations of toxins included levels that both indicated possible
bioaccumulation, and are above recommended guidelines for intake, of these toxins. Taken
together, these data suggest a potential for exposure to toxins via consumption of sportfish in
these freshwater lakes following blooms of cyanobacteria.