How is Red Tide Monitoring Conducted in NH?
PSP monitoring in New Hampshire has been ongoing for several years. The monitoring program has typically consisted of at least weekly collection and testing of blue mussels, which tend to accumulate the PSP toxin quicker than other species of shellfish, from Hampton/Seabrook Harbor. The weekly testing is performed on samples of mussels from April through the end of October, the period when the phytoplankton may be active. Data-sharing with neighboring states of Maine and Massachusetts has been an integral part of ensuring an adequate, large-scale monitoring program. In the year 2000, the NH Department of Environmental Services expanded PSP monitoring in offshore NH tidal waters. A new mussel monitoring site was been established on Star Island, Isles of Shoals. This site provides critical information on PSP levels in offshore waters, which is where the phytoplankton blooms tend to originate. These data are extremely useful to not only help anticipate the occurrence of dangerous PSP leve
