It has a different mode of action and acts more rapidly than any we have previously seen. It also appears to be heat stable. And it's highly lethal to fish. When exposed to its purified form, fish became moribund in two to three seconds and died within three minutes. Tests also showed the toxin can damage mammalian neurological and pituitary cells.
More testing is now under way to better understand the severity and duration of that damage.
Leading environmental scientists from the United States and Canada are taking part in the two-day workshop. The method is called a reporter gene assay. The assay has been successfully tested in the lab. Months of field testing will now begin. Of the four, only P. piscicida has yet been given a formal scientific name.