A new study published by scientists from the Vigo Oceanographic Center of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) has revealed that Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the two islands with the highest concentration of five different species of microalgae capable of producing the toxin that causes ciguatera in the Canary Islands. A publication that has been included in the prestigious Harmful Algae magazine in which they study the biodiversity and distribution of these microalgae in the Archipelago, according to a statement from the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness.
It should be remembered that this Thursday the General Directorate of Public Health warned that sightings of massive proliferations (blooms) of microalgae had been detected on the coasts of all the islands. For this reason, the Ministry of Health advised against swimming on beaches that were affected by the arrival of these microalgae and avoid direct contact with the material deposited on the sand.
"These islands have a more extensive platform than the western ones and that could affect the distribution of microalgae", explains Francisco Rodríguez, first author of the article. An article that collects the results of the CICAN project and shows that the easternmost islands are the ones with the highest concentrations of toxic microalgae.
"They are part of a flora from when it had a climate similar to the Caribbean"
Due to the great diversity of species of the genus Gambierdiscus found in the Canary Islands, scientists consider it "more likely that these species have not been recently introduced to the islands, as some authors claim, but that they are part of a relict flora from past times when the climate in the Canary Islands was similar to the current one in the Caribbean".
"In principle, and based on sea temperature, the Canary Islands would not enter the area exposed to ciguatera, which is limited to tropical seas," the scientists explain. "In this way, and although the current cases of ciguatera cannot be attributed to climate change, it is to be expected that with the increase in temperatures on the planet, the incidence of these microalgae in the Canary Islands will be greater in the future," they add.
With this study, the researchers "have identified five different species of these dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus, capable of producing toxins that, transmitted to some fish, cause ciguatera syndrome." It should be noted that ciguatera "is a common disease in some tropical areas such as the Caribbean and Polynesia and that they are usually transmitted after consuming some carnivorous fish such as barracuda or amberjack."
