Shellfish harvesting and eating in Gulf of Alaska communities
Living and Eating in Intertidal Nature: Community-driven shellfish consumption evaluation
This project looks at how people in small Gulf of Alaska communities harvest and eat shellfish and how that relates to risks from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sitka Tribe of Alaska NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Sitka, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11387544 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may be invited to do an in-depth interview if you or your household harvests shellfish in one of five small Gulf of Alaska communities. The team will also send a mixed mail-and-web survey across selected Alaskan boroughs to measure how common PSP exposure and related behaviors are. Researchers will combine local shellfish toxin data with reported eating patterns to create probabilistic, community-specific risk profiles. Results will be shared with Tribal partners to help shape locally relevant health and harvesting guidance.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people living in Gulf of Alaska communities who regularly harvest or eat subsistence shellfish, especially those in the five targeted communities and selected Alaskan boroughs.
Not a fit: People who do not harvest or consume shellfish or who live outside the targeted Alaskan communities are unlikely to get direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give communities clearer, locally tailored information about when and where shellfish are safer to harvest and eat, helping prevent PSP exposures.
How similar studies have performed: Community surveys and toxin-exposure risk models have been used before for shellfish safety in other regions, but community-driven PSP work in the Gulf of Alaska is relatively novel and more localized.
Where this research is happening
Sitka, United States
- Sitka Tribe of Alaska — Sitka, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wickliffe, Jeffrey Kirk — Sitka Tribe of Alaska
- Study coordinator: Wickliffe, Jeffrey Kirk
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.