NOAA Event Response Program

Concerns regarding a large cyanobacteria bloom (HAB) in the Maumee River adjacent to Toledo, Ohio led NCCOS to provide event response funds for toxin monitoring.

The National HAB Office administers an Event Response Program in cooperation with NOAA administrators from the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.  This program provides immediate assistance to help federal, state and local officials manage events and advance the understanding of HABs as they occur. Depending on need, the program may provide access to toxin analysis, training, technical assistance, and support ship-based offshore sampling. Modest funding is available to help defray costs of immediate mobilization of response efforts. Due to limited funding three types of events are prioritized:

• Appearance of species, toxicity or harmful impacts that are unusual or unique for a particular U.S. coastal region and pose threats to public health and/or economically vital resources or which may lead to new discoveries in HAB science.
• Sudden or unexplained mortalities of seabirds, fish, or marine mammals for which a HAB linkage is suspected but which requires confirmation through additional sampling or observations.
• HAB events with major management or resource impacts for which additional data such as the size or extent of the outbreak, causative species, hydrographic characteristics of the associated water mass will be of use in subsequent management decisions.