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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 34 Number 3
November 2006
Belding Award goes to WHOI red tide expert Anderson
PLYMOUTH, MA – At the start of its Oct. 5 meeting here, the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Commission wrapped up some unfinished business by formally presenting the 2005 Belding Award to Don Anderson, PhD.
A senior scientist in the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Anderson is a world-renowned expert on toxic algae blooms, especially the ones that cause red tide.
Mike Hickey, chief shellfish biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), said he and his staff have worked closely with Anderson for more than 20 years on red tide issues but that his help was especially invaluable during the 2005 outbreak, which resulted in the record-breaking closure of 77.4% of Massachusetts coastal waters to shellfishing.
“Even with his extremely busy schedule – he literally hop-scotches around the world consulting on red tide blooms – Don has always found time to talk to us and help us understand how red tides occur,” Hickey said.
Anderson also helped DMF plan its red tide monitoring program to provide the highest level of protection possible for both the public health and the shellfish industry, he added.
“This gives us real-time information that makes us confident about our (closure and reopening) decisions,” Hickey said. “The fact that we got through the 2005 bloom without anyone getting sick is a tribute to the great working relationship we’ve developed with Don.”
Credit the team
While clearly pleased with the award, Anderson was quick to credit others for his success.
“This is an individual award but I don’t consider myself an individual,” he said. “Nothing that I do would be possible without those people in my lab.”
In case anyone had any doubts about the severity of the red tide event, Anderson took a moment to put it in perspective.
“The 2005 event was big by global standards,” he said. “And it was an extraordinarily well-managed event. That credit goes to the DMF staff.”
Anderson has led numerous field programs investigating the population dynamics of Alexandrium, the organism at the root of red tide blooms.
He and his colleagues study the biological, chemical, and physical factors that regulate the growth of Alexandrium in various habitats ranging from shallow salt ponds to open coastal waters.
Anderson is also involved in practical research to develop mitigation and control strategies to reduce the impacts of harmful and toxic blooms.
Created in 1989, the Belding Award is given each year to “the individual who, in the opinion of the marine fisheries commission, has done the most to promote conservation and sustainable use of the commonwealth’s marine resources.”
The award is named in honor of Dr. David Belding, a medical doctor and marine biology pioneer, who was especially fascinated with Cape Cod shellfish biology.
Lorelei Stevens
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