Journal of Marine Biology and Aquaculture

Raphidophycean flagellates Chattonella marina, first reported in India in 1954, is a highly toxic species causing harmful algal blooms (HABs) associated with massive mortality of wild and cultivated fish in Japan, China and Australia[1-3]. Several bioactive compounds have been found in cultures of raphidophytes: reactive oxygen species[4], brevetoxin[5], free fatty acid[6], nitric oxide[7], hemagglutinins and hemolysins[8]. However, some studies have rebutted that the ROS and brevetoxin were not the ichthyotoxins of C. marina[9,10]. Besides, there are no direct evidences to indicate that the hemolysis and oxidation of hemoglobin do occur in C. marina exposed fish[11]. Therefore the ichthyotoxic mechanism of C. marina is still highly controversial and the reason why some fish can survive in exposure of C. marina is also unclear. 1School of Science and Technology, The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 2Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong