Impacts of the harmful dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama bloom on shellfish aquaculture in Japan and some experimental studies on invertebrates

The dinoflagellate, Heterocapsa circularisquama Horiguchi is known to cause massive marine shellfish deaths in coastal waters of Japan. During the last two decades, proliferation of H. circularisquama across western portions of Japan hampered the production of shellfish cultivation, resulting in economic consequences. In this chapter, the ecophysiology and toxicology of H. circularisquama and subsequent damage to aquaculture are discussed, with special emphasis on the effects of H. circularisquama on the physiology of shellfish.