Lightfish Monitors for HABs Off WA Coast

The Lightfish autonomous underwater vehicle Kum'tuks (Chinook language for "to understand") completed another successful mission to collect offshore water samples for assessing harmful algal blooms and their toxins off La Push, WA (pictured). In this 48h mission, led by the UW/APL buoy team and UW Olympic Natural Resources Center (ONRC), Kum'tuks collected water samples at offshore sites where HABs were suspected to be found. These samples were analyzed in the lab at the ONRCand will be used in the PNW HAB Bulletin to provide an early warning of HABs to coastal managers of shellfish that are impacted by toxins. This SeaSats Lightfish was outfitted with a water sampler through an IOOS Ocean Technology Transfer award, and operations are being sustained in NANOOS via the IOOS National HAB Observing Network.

Photo Credit: Vera Trainer, ONRC

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