Global Harmful Algal Blooms

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8 - 11 October 2019

Puerto Varas, Chile

Fish-killing algal blooms are of increasing concern to socio-economic interests linked to the sustainability and security of seafood and living resources. Development of fisheries and aquaculture as part of integrated coastal resource management are particularly susceptible to the threat of ichthyotoxic events and their consequences.

Whereas these events are categorized as “fish-killing”, there are associated impacts on other components of coastal marine ecosystems, including wild fish populations, benthic macrofauna and macrophytes. Outside the aquaculture and fisheries industry sector, there has been inadequate consideration of fish-killing algae and the topic has not been systematically addressed within the scientific community on a global basis.

Known ichthyotoxic marine algae are usually identifiable as causative organisms, but there remain taxonomic and biogeographical uncertainties in the distribution of the species. The role of climate change leading to regime shifts and hence possible increased frequency, magnitude and biogeographical distribution of fish-killing algal blooms poses a challenge to understanding the future ocean.

Knowledge of the environmental factors driving bloom dynamics are not fully understood, and this has hampered the development of predictive models for forecasting and risk assessment of fishkilling events. Even the proposed mechanisms whereby exposure to such blooms causes fish morbidity and mortalities are highly controversial and lack scientific consensus. Furthermore, there is only limited application and lack of standardization of current fish- or cell-based bioassay methods for assessing ichthyotoxicity.

The Advanced International Colloquium and Technical Workshop, under the auspices of the IOC-IPHAB and as part the GlobalHAB science agenda, with the support of the government of Chile through CORFO and the collaboration of CREAN-IFOP, will comprehensively address these gaps in knowledge and will yield a synthesis of current state-of-knowledge linked to strategies for technological and scientific approaches to mitigating the impacts. As a way to strengthen the relationship with the local community, part of the considered activities in this Colloquium, a set of talks oriented to decision makers, professionals, academics and the general public, has been included.

Local organizers: Leonardo Guzmán (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Jorge Mardones Óscar Espinoza

The final agenda can be found files/Fish-Killing-WS_Programme_FINAL.pdf

On Thursday, October 10 at 14:30 (local time), an Open Conference "Status of fish kills and its impacts in a changing environment" will be offered on streaming at the URL 

https://www.facebook.com/1871967802832922/videos/1254975338037553/

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When and where: 2018-2020

Editorial Board: Mark Wells: US (Chair, link with PICES); Michele Burford, Australia (Freshwater), SSC; Marina Montresor, Italy, SSC; Grant Pitcher, South Africa; Gires Usup, Malaysia, IPHAB, SSC. 

The Editorial Board will meet 26 February to 1 March 2018 at the Stazione Zoologica di Napoli to:

• Select authors for the chapters in base of expertise/topics, geographic distribution and gender balance.
• Develop timeline for production of the guide.
• Develop outline for the guide, looking for advice (as necessary) outside the Editorial Board.
• Identify potential publishers considering editorial conditions (page limits, balance between text and figures, formatting guidelines, cost, online format, etc.). In coordination with the GlobalHAB SSC, IOC and SCOR select publisher.
• Develop a budget for the production and publication and, with GlobalHAB SSC and its sponsors, seek the required funding.
• Oversee review process for draft chapters.

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When and where: 2018-2020

Editorial Board: Michele Burford, Christopher Gobler.  Photos and other information will be gathered by networking with other people working in the area of cyanobacterial bloom management. The document will be reviewed by other experts in the field to ensure that the content is accurate, and captures the most current available.

The aim is to produce a short user-friendly document on strategies to mitigate blooms of cyanobacteria in freshwater lakes, reservoirs, ponds and rivers. The document will be used by water and environmental managers to help them determine what options are available for acute bloom events. There are many peer-reviewed scientific publications and other documents, but it has not been synthesized into a concise, targeted document summarizing all the information. We believe this information will be useful globally, as many of the same issues face water and environmental managers worldwide. The document layout and approach will be modelled on the successful R.M. Kudela et al. 2015. Harmful Algal Blooms. A Scientific Summary for Policy Makers. IOC/UNESCO, Paris (IOC/INF-1320).

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When and where: 2018 International Symposium: The Climate Change Effects on the World Oceans, 4-8 June, 2018, Washington D.C., USA, http://meetings.pices.int/meetings/international/2018/climate-change/background

Contact: Elisa Berdalet, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Kedong Yin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

When and where: 18^th International ISSHA Conference on Harmful Algae, 21-26 October 2018, Nantes, France. https://www.icha2018.com/

Contact: Elisa Berdalet

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When and where: Tuesday, 11 October 2016, Florianopolis, Brazi, 17th International ISSHA Conference on Harmful Algae
Conveners: Elisa Berdalet (Chair), on behalf of the GlobalHAB Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), Henrik Enevoldsen (IOC/UNESCO). 

The international HAB research community is invited to actively engage in GlobalHAB. Thus, the Town Hall was a fantastic opportunity to discuss the Scientific and Implementation Plan of the new programme, and to identify ways of dynamic participation.

The Town Hall meeting was aimed to:

• Highlight the main pressing issues that face the international harmful algal bloom (HAB) science community, including e.g. toxin-related challenges, impacts of aquaculture on HAB occurrences, the potential climate change impacts on HABs occurrence in freshwater and marine ecosystems, etc.

• Identify specific activities to address these topics.

• Facilitate interactions among scientists interested in implementing GlobalHAB-related activities

• Discuss science/stakeholder forums to assess the potential socio-economic impacts of HAB occurrences and to engage the medical community to improve human health protection.

• Foster and develop links with existing international and regional initiatives that have HAB research among their priorities, fundamental for the implementation of GlobalHAB.

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