Contacts:                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dan Dewell                    10/6/98
Mike Murphy

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded some $2.4 million in research grants to study the causes and consequences of harmful algal blooms, including outbreaks of toxic Pfiesteria and similar organisms in mid- Atlantic coastal waters. The grants are part of NOAA's coordination of a national interagency response to increased incidents of these blooms.

"We're glad we are able to provide funding and technical assistance to tackle this important problem," said Dr. Nancy Foster, head of the NOAA's National Ocean Service. "It's important to have a high quality, coordinated response and research for harmful algal bloom problems, including fish kills and human illnesses associated with Pfiesteria-like outbreaks in estuaries along the mid-Atlantic coast." Foster's office coordinates the national interagency effort to combat and study harmful algal blooms (HABs) and Pfiesteria under a program known as ECOHAB - Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms.

Among HABs, Pfiesteria-piscicida has received the most public attention of late in the wake of last year's fish kills and suspected human health impacts in mid- and south-Atlantic coastal regions. Although other Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellate species have been detected in a non-toxic form in many areas - Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, North Carolina, and Florida - researchers are trying to determine what environmental conditions cause these organisms to become toxic.

In addition to Pfiesteria problems, scientists have also documented a nationwide increase in the frequency and severity of other HAB outbreaks in coastal areas. "These NOAA ECOHAB grants pave the way for research that is important to the environmental and economic health of our coastal regions," Foster said. "Our partners in the states and academic community are an important link in our national program to unlock the mysteries of HABs and Pfiesteria-like species."

The following researchers have been awarded ECOHAB grants to study Pfiesteria-like organisms:

- Patricia M. Gilbert from the University of Maryland Horn Point Laboratory is leading a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from Delaware, North Carolina, and South Carolina to examine what conditions contribute to Pfiesteria blooms;

- Yonathan Zohar from the University of Maryland's Biotechnology Institute is leading a team of researchers to identify what specific species from the Pfiesteria-like complex produce toxins and what is the role of bacterial interactions; and

- Senie Lin and Edward Carpenter from the University of New York-Stony Brook are studying the factors affecting growth of Pfiesteria piscicida;

Two more research projects have been awarded funding by NOAA this year to study other HAB species:

- Vera Trainer from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, Maryland, is leading a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from Washington, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia, Canada to characterize the mechanisms regulating toxin sensitivity in shellfish exposed to harmful algal blooms; and

- John Paul from the University of South Florida will study the role viruses play in killing off Gymnodinium breve, the organism responsible for red tides in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.

The ECOHAB program has been underway since 1996. NOAA, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, and the Office of Naval Research fund ECOHAB to develop a means to predict when and where HABs might occur, how long they might last, and their potential impacts on coastal resources. These agencies have combined resources to fund eight other ECOHAB research projects this year. In addition to grants awarded this year, there are several ongoing studies of various HAB species in the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Long Island, Chesapeake Bay, Guam, and along the U.S. West Coast.

For more information on ECOHAB, visit NOAA's National Ocean Service, Coastal Ocean Program Web site at:

http://www.cop.noaa.gov/projects/HAB.htm

NOTE TO READERS: Paragraph 3 was changed to clarify where "Pfiesteria piscicida" had been found, and to distinguish between Pfiesteria and other similar organisms. At the time of this news release, Pfiesteria piscicida had not been documented in Florida.