Pacific Shellfish Institute

Plankton Fan Zone – Percival Landing Pavilion dock!

PSI is kicking off the “What’s Blooming in Budd?” season tomorrow, Thursday, from 10-12 at the dock in front of the Percival Landing Pavilion, downtown Olympia. Please note the TEMPORARY NEW LOCATION since Port Plaza has become the fan zone for the exciting World Cup!

“What’s Blooming in Budd?” events will resume every Thursday this summer at PORT PLAZA (10-12) from June 24th to September 3rd.

Join us for community fun and exploration as we collect SoundToxins samples and see who’s dominating the plankton world this week.

Thank you, Stream Team of Thurston County and Inspire Olympia, for supporting these events.

It was a gorgeous day to collect plankton samples for SoundToxins with long-time volunteer, Jeanne Koenings, and Tumwater HS student, Lorenzo Larios.

Plankton cell counts combined with WDOH shellfish testing prove to be a highly effective way to better understand harmful algal blooms (HABs) and protect human health and the shellfish industry. Learn more at www.soundtoxins.org.

Today, the water was thick with Akashiwo sanguinea (5,500 cells/L), Noctiluca scintillans, and Tripos fusus. Dinophysis, the species responsible for diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and the current recreational shellfish harvest closure in Budd Inlet, is still common.

Come see what's in the water next Thursday (10:00-12:00) as we kick off the “What’s Blooming in Budd?” summer season at the Port Plaza dock! All are welcome!

PSI recently retrieved our shell bags from a catch basin at Port of Olympia’s Marine Terminal! Might I say they were a bit stinky! 😊

Last April, over 200 pounds of oyster shell were placed into a catch basin to test their ability to naturally remove copper and zinc from stormwater runoff. Since that time, we collected stormwater samples during 2 storm events under both low-flow and high-flow conditions. Data is currently being analyzed and will help guide follow-up experiments this coming fall.

A HUGE shout out to the Port of Olympia staff for being flexible and “ready to go!” when the rain rolled in and their commitment to stormwater solutions. And a BIG thank you to the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment for supporting efforts to keep Budd Inlet clean and healthy!