Recreational Shellfish Beach Monitoring Pilot Program (Haines)
The Chilkoot Indian Association and Takshanuk Watershed Council are working together on a Pilot Recreational Shellfish Beach Monitoring Program in the Haines area. [caption id="attachment_972" align="aligncenter" width="811"] Sites of PSP monitoring[/caption] The goal of this monitoring program is to build knowledge of local trends in paralytic shellfish toxins and to establish knowledge of the risks of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in specific harvests. This pilot program is not yet sufficient to certify beaches as "safe" or completely ensure harvester safety from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Staff from CIA and TWC sample harvesting sites at Viking Cove and Portage Cove each month, year round, for the two year pilot program. Mussels are collected from rocks on the beaches, the mussels are shucked, and the meat is sent to a…