The Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms (PCM HAB) Research Program is a new program, authorized by the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (1998, 2004). It is based on input from the HAB community, provided in the recently published HAB Research, Development, Demonstration, and Technology Transfer (RDDTT) National Workshop Report. The program is one component of a larger RDDTT strategy outlined in the workshop report and in the HABHRCA report, Harmful Algal Bloom Management and Response: Assessment and Plan.
PCM HAB will transition promising PCM technologies and strategies to end-users. PCM HAB will also assess the social and economic costs of HAB events and the costs and benefits of PCM strategies, which will aid managers in devising a cost-effective management strategy. The RDDTT strategy, including this program focused on HAB PCM, will yield many benefits for the public, including healthier fisheries and ecosystems, fewer impacts of blooms on humans and the environment, and reductions in nuisance or harmful accumulation of algae.
