1981-82 Annual Sea Grant Report, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The study of coastal and ocean resources has long been a research theme at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). For the past decade our Sea Grant program has been especially valuable in this endeavor, and helped develop some new areas of research and expand existing ones. One example is the study of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) caused by the "red tide" dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis which was unknown to southern New England before 1972. Not only is PSP deleterious to recreational and commercial shellfishing activities, it adds new constraints to aquaculture and sea ranching. A second example is the development of a visual technique for monitoring the lipid reserves of bivalve larvae. Lipids are normally accumulated during the growth of healthy bivalve larvae but are rapidly metabolized and lost by larvae under stress. Assessment of the lipid con tent of bivalve larvae in hatcheries provides an accurate diagnostic tool for the detection of stress in developmental stages; the technique may hold promise in wild populations as an indicator of pollution or disease. Although research is our main objective, the transfer of results from our Program and others in the National Sea Grant network, is an important part of our effort. Our Marine Assistance Service maintains inter actions with state, county and local environmental agencies and with selectmen and natural resource personnel in the local towns of Cape Cod and the Islands. Grant no. NA80-AA-D-00077