Clupeotoxism: something new to me, and probably to you too

Nature Talk
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From today’s paper, about the heavy metals in the waters around the Peninsula, which may also be helpful @elpatitojuan2

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Please don’t demonise the sargassum, it’s not a contributor to either of these toxins - but it is an extremely important habitat element for many species and nursery protection for many fish and other marine animals like sea turtles. In normal cycles it also plays an important role in coastal ecosystems, delivering nutrients and replenishing and protecting the coastal zone.

If grown in clean, unpolluted water, most or all species are safe and nutritious to eat, and have been traditionally, even medicinally, in many cultures around the world.

So yes, just like most things, it bioaccumulates the heavy metals that our industries release into its environment, and it blooms spectacularly in the nutrient rich runoff from hyper intensive farming, and in some places those blooms can cause the kind of problems that any sort of overpopulation inevitably does.

But the problem, and the danger, are not the sargassum. It’s just the smoking gun, the evidence of the real crime that needs to be investigated and prevented.

1 Like
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I am poinitng to numerous recent articles re: sargazo that may or may not be relevant to Clupeotoxism as per the OP’s request for any scientific research.

The volume of sargazo appears to be different here than in other places and currently is under much discussion by our local institutions.

I was extremely clear that I did not know if sargazo was a factor so asked if it could be.

Please assume good intent.

The OP appears to have abandoned his thread so I will do the same.

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I’m not assuming “bad intent” - you just seemed very fixated on linking this to, what seems like a fairly clearly unrelated, algal bloom problem that’s occurred in your area several centuries after clupeoid poisoning was first described.

Other than the problems that would be caused by having any large volume of biomass rotting in the places that people would otherwise frequent, there is no reason whatsoever for people to fear sargassum - and many many good reasons that almost everywhere else they should be seriously fearing its disappearance.

Clupeotoxism appears to be caused by ingestion of palytoxin, which is associated with zoanthid corals and some dinoflagellates, not with brown algae.

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Please stop trying to describe me. You do so quite poorly.

I had no idea that “centuries” had passed since this poisoning was described. The OP made it sound quite new and like very little literature existed re: it. You seem to know quite a lot. Perhaps you could link to some scientific articles.

Here is a joint policy paper in which UNAM took place, which is in English. It mentions all the various things people in this area are using the massive amounts of sargazo for, like bricks and as fertilizer.

The paper also says this:

  • However, as it accumulates close to the coastlines, it can smother valuable corals, seagrass beds, and beaches.
  • The phenomenon causes environmental deterioration, threatening coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, and their synergy with human activities.
  • Dumping Sargassum causes leachates. Waste in landfills decomposes, releasing methane into the atmosphere and leaching arsenic. When deposited in a forested area, there are negative impacts on natural water aquifers.

It is not that the sargazo is bad. It is the volume of it, which is unique to this area, and that we are perhaps not handling it as we ought.

Since the fish are here and the sargazo is here, I wondered if the two were related. I get it. They are not.

Please cease to describe me or ascribe psychology to me.