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A field survey of the seasonal variation of microcystin (MC) concentration was performed in Gonghu Bay (a total of 15 sampling sites) of Lake Taihu from January to December 2008. Microcystis spp. biomass and intra-/extracellular MCs were significantly correlated with water temperature, suggesting the importance of temperature in cyanobacterial blooming in the lake. Higher MC concentration was found in summer and autumn, and peaks of Microcystis biomass and intra-/extracellular MC concentrations were all present in October. Spatially, risk of MCs was higher in littoral zones than in the pelagic area. There were significant correlations between N or P concentrations, and Microcystis biomass or MC content, suggesting that N and P levels affected MC production through influencing Microcystis biomass. Intra-/extracellular MCs and Microcystis biomass had negative exponential relationships with TN:TP, and the maximum values all occurred when TN:TP was <25. Multivariate analyses by pcca indicated that intra- and extracellular MC concentrations had better correlations with biological factors (such as Microcystis biomass and chl-a) than physicochemical factors. The maximum concentration reached up to 17 µg/L MC-Lreq, considerably higher drinking water safety standard (1 µg/L) recommended who. So it is necessary take measures reduce exposure risk of cyanobacterial toxins human beings.

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Summary A non‐classical biomanipulation experiment was carried out in Gonghu Bay of Lake Taihu in 2009. Silver and bighead carp were stocked in a large fish enclosure to control cyanobacterial blooms. Water quality, plankton abundance, and the intracellular and extracellular microcystins (MCs) in lake water were investigated monthly in 2009. The concentrations of nitrogen nutrients were significantly lower in the fish enclosure than in the surrounding lake, while phosphorus (especially total phosphorus) concentration was higher in fish enclosure. During the blooming period, Cyanophyta contributed to more than 90% of the phytoplankton in the surrounding lake, whereas it represented only 40–80% in the fish enclosure. The phytoplankton and crustacean zooplankton biomasses and the zooplankton/phytoplankton ratios were all significantly lower in the fish enclosure than in the lake. This result suggested that silver and bighead carp can effectively suppress the phytoplankton biomass with the initial stocking density of 7.5 g m−3 for silver carp and 1.1 g m−3 for bighead carp, despite a simultaneous decrease in the grazing pressure of the zooplankton on the phytoplankton. During the blooming period, the intracellular and extracellular MCs in the fish enclosure were reduced by 93.8% and 69.8% compared with the surrounding lake. MCs content varied from 0.34 to 18.8 ng (mean 4.8 ng) MC‐LReqg−1 wet weight in the muscle sample of silver and bighead carp in the experimental enclosure, which suggested that these fish were safe to consume for human. However, the long‐term effects of MCs on aquatic ecosystem and on public health cannot be overlooked.

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