Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011

Harmful algal blooms and hypoxic events, periods of severe oxygen depletion, threaten coastal environments throughout the United States. These events cause threats to human health, fish kills, degradation of critical coastal habitats, economic damage to shellfish industries and tourism, and mortality of protected marine animals. To study and manage this growing threat, Congress authorized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to coordinate scientific activity related to detection, monitoring, assessment, and prediction of harmful algal bloom (HAB) and hypoxia events. The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) established several research programs on harmful algal blooms and hypoxic events, all of which involve Federal, state, and academic partners to address these issues in an ecosystem context. Amendments to HABHRCA have been proposed and would reauthorize the Act for 2011-2015. The proposed amendments outline a set of requirements for an Interagency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia. This task force would develop a national strategy, evaluate past and continuing research programs, and promote the development of new technologies for predicting, monitoring, and mitigating HABs and hypoxia conditions.