National Monitoring Programme for Phytoplankton Species occurrence in Aquaculture Production Areas

Where favourable environmental conditions occur, some species may form 'blooms' where high cell densities may cause water discolouration, foaming, mass mortalities of fish, shellfish, invertebrate and benthic organisms through oxygen depletion or produce biotoxins which can accumulate in species of filter feeding bi-valve molluscs, which can cause a variety of human illnesses if consumed when placed on the market for human consumption.

Since the 1980's, the Marine Institute have been operating a monitoring programme for the detection of these phytoplanktonic species via microscopy (method accredited to ISO 17025 standards) and have been publishing results of this analysis on a daily basis to competent authorities (The Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority) and industry. Samples are currently taken on a weekly basis from Classified Production shellfish aquaculture areas all around the Irish Coastline (up to approx. 100 production areas from Co.