Journal of Coastal Development ISSN: 1410-5217 Volume 8, Number 2, February 2005 : 75 - 88 Accredited: 23a DIKTI Kep 2004 Review THE CURRENT STATUS OF RESEARCH ON HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM (HAB) IN INDONESIA Boy Rahardjo Sidharta* Faculty of Biology, Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta Babarsari Street , Yogyakarta, 55281-Indonesia Received: June, 12, 2004 ; Accepted: January, 4, 2005 ABSTRACT Harm ul Algal Bloom (HAB) is a natural phenomenon, however its incident increases both in term o cases and areas. )hen HAB outbreaks occur it will usually damage the environment and create economic losses. Environmental damage and economic losses are caused by the harm ul aspects o the HAB organisms due to both o environmental alterations and to,in productions. In Indonesian seas, HAB has become more re.uent and spread through out the country since 1900s. But there are still lacks o : number o researcher and research, unding support, awareness, and integrated national agenda with regard to HAB in Indonesia. In contrast, worldwide research and researchers, unding, awareness, and national agenda have become common and more advance. Hence, there are some opportunities or Indonesian researchers on HAB to: join (international) research projects, gain research unding, e,perience advance training, and pursue scholarships ( or 1asters and 2h3s degree) rom institutions abroad. Keywords: (AB, Phycotoxin, ,oastal Areas, Ecosystem and Economic loss * Correspondence: Phone: .27 - 87711 ext. 11012117., Fax.: .27 - 877 8 E4mail: brsidharta5mail.uajy.ac.id INTRODUCTION spread out and now becoming more extensive worldwide. Anderson 311154 noticed that (armful Algal Bloom 3(AB4 phenomenon (AB outbreaks in the United States of becomes an important sub6ect among marine America:s seas have been distributed widely scientists worldwide recently. Such natural in this country since 117.:s. Other important phenomenon appeared almost unnoticed in things to note in (AB outbreaks are the 1713 when some boatmen were reported to be number of harmful algal species which also intoxicated after consuming marine seafood, increases and the impacts become more specifically shellfish, captured from British severe, because (AB was not only affected ,olumbia sea. (ence, the name Poison ,ove ecosystem but also human health, which was given by ,aptain 8eorge 9ancouver for means huge economic loss. Additionally, the place 3Anonymous, 11184. Some of the shellfish consumption banned during the toxins produced by the harmful algae were outbreak will increase the economic loss from usually accumulated in shellfish and other the seafood industry, mostly the fishermen. seafood organisms through marine food- In term of economic loss caused by chains and undergone biomagnification (AB outbreaks, Anderson et al. 32...4 has processes in human body. calculated that in the USA alone, it reached From then on, (AB outbreaks seem to the value as big as US$5. million per year. On be common incidences in the marine the other hand, human beings who were environments and surprisingly (AB has been intoxicated by contaminated seafood commonly experienced the decrease of their 75 Journal of Coastal Development ISSN: 1410-5217 Volume 8, Number 2, February 2005 : 75 - 88 Accredited: 23a DIKTI Kep 2004 life quality. Therefore, it was not surprised if APE, 3Asia Pacific Economic ,ouncil4, as one of the bonafide international economic fora, since 1117 has given a strong support to HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM (HAB) (AB scientists to conduct such an R S ARCH WORLD-WID international conference 3International ,onference on Marine Shellfish Safety2 Corldwide studies of (AB have been done as I,MSS4. (AB study has also developed early as this phenomenon appeared to become intensively worldwide in order for a country to one of the important problems in coastal- predict, prevent, and mitigate (AB outbreaks related activities. As mentioned in the above 3Anderson et al. 2..14. paragraphs, (AB outbreak in an area does not (AB outbreaks, hence, are closely only damage marine environments, but also at linked to coastal-related, we activities, for the same time created very complicated socio- instance aquaculture2marineculture, marine economic problems. ,losing off a shellfish pollution, seafood industry and consumption, aquaculture during (AB outbreak for instance transportation 3ship:s ballast water4 and can cause an economic loss to the fishermen tourism 3(allegraeff, 11154. (AB occurrences and2or the shellfish industry and consequently were predicted to be caused by global climate gives the fishermen no 6ob to do, no money to change, eutrophication, and man-made 3such gain, and usually no alternative income as industries and domestic4 activities in the 3,orrales and Maclean, 11154. coastal areas 3Anonymous, 11184. Therefore, (allegraeff 311154 and Anderson 32.. 4 many studies on (AB are now being carried reported that the increased numbers of case of out worldwide. (AB outbreaks were correlated with the In accordance to the development of increase of species numbers of harmful algae (AB study, there were some supporting as the causative organisms. Therefore, one key activities, such as international trainings, factor to understand and to mitigate the dissemination of informations through internet outbreak is to study the biological aspects of 3and mailing lists such as Phyco-toxins, the causative organisms for example a toxin- Algae-L, and Indonesia_(ABByahoogroups. producing Ale,andrium spp. com4, intergovernmental 6oin programs, scientific publications, international peer- reviewed 6ournal, etc. (enceforth, the purpose of this review article is to examine the current status of (AB in Indonesia. 70 Journal of Coastal Development ISSN: 1410-5217 Volume 8, Number 2, February 2005 : 75 - 88 Accredited: 23a DIKTI Kep 2004 Fig. 1. A life cycle of Ale,andrium spp 3see the sequence numbers from 1 to 54, one of the PSP producing dinoflagellate occur in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia. Picture courtesy of Coodshole Oceanographic Institution 3http:22www.whoi.edu2redtide4. The biological aspects include: taxonomy and water current-ship transportation, etc4, species ecology, physiology 3toxin production, succession, and community structure reproduction4, symbiosis 3endosymbiont 3Burkholder, 2...G Anderson, 2.. 4. bacteria4, genetics 3DEA mutation and Related to these two aspects is the study evolution4, and biotechnology 3toxins antidote on (AB cyst. Study on (AB cyst has now production and biological control4 become very important, because it can reveal 3Burkholder, 2...4. not only the history 3vertical distribution4 of Study in taxonomic aspect is very the occurrence of an (AB species in an area, important, because if one failed to identify and but also its horiFontal 3and worldwide4 determine the causative organism3s4 correctly, distribution of the microalgal species 3Fukuyo it will lead to the mismanagement of the and Matsuoka, 1187G Anderson et al., 11154. treatment done. (owever, in some cases, there Modern (AB cyst studies were believed to be were noticed cases that several species able to predict (AB outbreaks in the future appeared in two conditions: toxin-producers 3Matsuoka and Fukuyo, 11874. and non-toxin producers, both in the Toxins: production from the harmful laboratory and in nature 38onFales et al., algae has become very interesting aspect to 1115G Burkholder, 2...4. Species study. Until recently, there were already some identification and determination are related toxins revealed from the harmful algae 3Table closely to their ecological aspects such as 14 and it is predicted to increase in term of distributions, factors influencing the outbreaks toxins: numbers in the present time 3Jellet, 3nutrients-eutrophication, climate-El EiHo, 1113G Plumley, 11174. 77 Journal of Coastal Development ISSN: 1410-5217 Volume 8, Number 2, February 2005 : 75 - 88 Accredited: 23a DIKTI Kep 2004 Table 1. Phycotoxins produced by (AB organisms and their adverse impacts Type of Causati.e To0ins Symptoms Poisonings organisms Produced ASP 2seudonits6chia Domoic Acid In 2 hours: nausea, vomiting 370I4, 3Amnesic spp abdominal cramp 35.I4, diarrhea 3 I4. In 8 Shellfish hours: neurological symptoms such as Poisoning4 diFFiness, headache, seiFures, disorientation, short-term memory loss 325I4, respiratory difficulty, and coma DSP 3inophysis spp Okadaic Acid Cithin 3. minutes: incapacitating diarrhea 3Diarrhetic 2rorocentrum 312I4, nausea 38.I4, vomiting 371I4, Shellfish lima abdominal cramps and chills Poisoning4 ESP 7ymnodinium Brevetoxins Initially diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal 3Eeurotoxic breve pain, followed by neurological dysfunction Shellfish Poisoning4 PSP Ale,andrium Saxitoxins Potentially fatal 38.5 J 1 I4, death occur 3Paralytic spp, 7ymnodini4 within 2 hours. In non-lethal cases: tingling, Shellsfish um catenatum, numbness, ataxia, giddiness, drowsiness, fever, Poisoning4 2yrodinium rash, and staggering. bahamense var. compressum ,FP 7ambierdiscus ,iguatoxin, Initially diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain 3,iguatera to,icus, 2roro4 Maitotoxin 3K 12I4, followed by neurological or Fish centrum spp, temperature sensation, muscular aches, Poisoning4 8streopsis spp, diFFiness, anxiety, sweating and numbness and Coolia monotis tingling of the mouth and digits. Source: Jellet 311134 and Baden et al. 31115, with minor modifications4 The toxins produced by (AB organisms are pharmaceutical industries in the near future4 to known as phycotoxin. So far, phycotoxins help the victims to regain their quality of life. produced by the algae were used as their