Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are an escalating threat to public health, coastal economies, fisheries, and tourism — costing the U.S. economy hundreds of millions of dollars annually. In response, the Dialogues with Industry: Harmful Algal Blooms series — part of the Ocean Enterprise Initiative — convened three targeted discussions in early 2025 to explore the economic dynamics and technological landscape of the HABs market sector.
Landsat-5 satellite image of 2011 Lake Erie harmful algal bloom. Credit: USGS and NASA Earth Observatory.
Led in partnership with the Marine Technology Society, Global Ocean Observing System, NOAA, and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, the Dialogues brought together voices from government, academia, and industry to identify barriers, align incentives, and unlock new opportunities for innovation and operational services. Participants outlined 21 high-priority action pathways addressing eight cross-cutting challenges within three overarching priority areas, aimed at reducing HAB-related risks and enabling a more responsive, commercially viable ecosystem for HAB detection, forecasting, and response.
The five reports and three recordings from the Dialogues with Industry: Harmful Algal Blooms series were published today on the Ocean Enterprise Initiative Publications website. This milestone reflects a year of collaborative effort to advance data services, technology applications, and a more resilient HABs market sector.
This work is authorized under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 4001 et seq.), which authorizes NOAA to detect and monitor harmful algae.
Editors note: thank you to NOAA for all the important work they do, and for sharing information!
