Toxic Tides (Harmful Algal Blooms)
Introduced by Senators Olympia Snowe and Bill Nelson.
The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011 was introduced in the Senate by two of our Ocean Champions in Congress, Senators Olympia Snowe (R, ME) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) on October 12, 2011. The House version was introduced in July and has already been passed out of the Natural Resources Committee and is ready for floor action. The HABs bill will develop and implement a national strategy and regional action plans to combat harmful algal blooms in our oceans and waterways. The bill will also improve research and increase coordination among the organizations charged with implementing the strategy.
"This bill will help us understand and predict what's causing fish kills and harmful algae blooms," said Senator Bill Nelson. "The more we learn about these phenomena and how to prevent them, the better off our oceans, lakes and rivers will be."
Harmful algal blooms, which often produce a toxin and occur in both salt and fresh water, are known to kill fish, marine mammals, and birds; they can contaminate shellfish with toxins and harm human health, sometimes resulting in fatalities. They shut down fisheries, sideline fishermen and drive tourists away from resorts. Researchers have estimated that HABs cost coastal communities nearly $100 million annually.
Algal blooms can also cause hypoxia where oxygen is stripped from the water resulting in so-called "dead zones". Like humans, most animals and plants need oxygen for survival and typically perish in areas such as the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, which averages 6,000 square miles in size.
These problems are getting worse, as the incidence, duration, and severity of HAB events are on the rise.
Click here for the September, 2010 Interagency Working Group Report on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Human Health
Click here for Ocean Champions HAB overview.
Click here for the overview of the Senate bill (S.1701).
Rep. Connie Mack IV Speaks on Red Tide
For more information about Red Tides and other Harmful Algal Blooms check out these great resources:
- Ocean Champions HABs Overview
- List of 2009-2011 HAB outbreaks as reported
- Forecasting Toxic Algal Blooms in California
- The Woods Hole Oceanographic Insitute's Harmful Algae Pages
- NOAA's National Ocean Service Harmful Algal Blooms Pages
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's Harmful Algal Blooms Pages
- Surfrider Foundation's Beachapedia, the coastal knowledge resource