HABHRCA Report Submitted to Congress

On August 24th, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) submitted the “Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research Plan and Action Strategy: An Interagency Report” to Congress.  The report focuses on the relationships between federal partners and their stakeholders, and the challenges, concerns, and needs related to HABs and hypoxia, and their impact on Great Lakes regional interests and communities.  The report broadly recommends the following:

• Improving comprehensive conservation planning;
• Expanding ecological forecasting and modeling for HABs and hypoxia across the Great Lakes;
• Refining and developing methods for detecting HAB-related toxins found in the Great Lakes;
• Developing unified messages on the causes, risks, and mitigation efforts on HABs and hypoxia; and
• Expanding and integrating information on current and potential future social and environmental impacts of HABs and hypoxia in the Great Lakes.

This report is the second step for fulfilling the requirements of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) legislation after the publication of the February 2016 assessment report.  This new report is attached to this article and will be posted on NOAA’s HABHRCA page in the near future.