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History of Florida’s Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force

Learn more about harmful algal blooms, creation of the Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force, its Technical Advisory Group, and past funded projects.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur worldwide in aquatic environments and are a common problem in the United States in both inland and coastal waters. HABs are a growing global concern because of their negative impacts on natural and economic resources. In recent decades, more HAB species and more toxins have been identified. Although some of these species were known and accounted for, they were not previously known to be toxic.

Both non-toxic and toxic HABs can negatively impact the environment, aquatic life, and human health by disturbing the food web and ecosystem as well as contaminating seafood. More than 100 toxic HAB species are found worldwide, with more than 50 marine and 20 freshwater species being found in Florida. Toxin-producing species can cause human illness or death and can produce mass mortalities of aquatic animals including fish, mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds. Economic impacts of HABs include related healthcare costs, commercial and recreational fisheries losses, reduced recreation and tourism, and costs for management, monitoring, and the cleanup.

Florida's Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force - History

In 1997, the Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force (FHABTF) was created to address the ongoing and emerging problem of multiple HAB events in Florida. While in office, former Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Virginia Wetherell, organized this group in response to two major 1996 HAB events: 1) a Pfiesteria fish kill crisis along the eastern United States seaboard, and; 2) an uncommon winter-spring Karenia brevis red tide that caused the largest documented manatee mortality event in Florida (147 of these endangered animals died from red tide effects).

The FHABTF was designed to address the issues of health, environment, and economic impacts of HABs in Florida. The membership, consisting of more than 50 people Representing a wide range of public and private organizations A 15-member Technical Advisory Group (TAG) was created to develop a review of HAB issues in Florida for the FHABTF to consider and approve. In March 1999, the TAG released the report "Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida," often referred to as the "White Paper" (Steidinger et al. 1999) which identified information and research needs, and suggested recommendations. The top six concerns identified were, in order of priority:

red tides caused by Karenia brevis;
possible fish kills or disease events caused by Pfiesteria piscicida;
ciguatera fish poisoning events due to Gambierdiscus toxicus and other ciguateric dinoflagellates;
blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms in freshwater, estuarine and marine systems;
potential tumor causing microalgae such as Prorocentrum; and
macroalgal blooms caused by Caulerpa, Codium, Gracilaria and other marine species.

The HAB report was approved and finalized by the FHABTF in June 1999 and was submitted to the state legislature by October of the same year. This resulted in the creation of Chapter 379.2271 (formerly Chapter 370.06092)and Chapter 379.2272 (formerly Chapter 370.06093) in the Florida statutes, mandating the FHABTF to act as an advisory body reporting to the Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). In addition, the implementation of a cooperative HAB program was authorized through the appropriation of federal, state, and private grant funds.

The legislation charged the FHABTF with three main tasks:

determine the status and adequacy of existing information and research;
develop research, monitoring, and management priorities (including detection, prediction, reduction, and control); and,
develop recommendations for the creation of response/contingency plans to fit specific needs and resources.

The resulting funded priorities focused on a number of important information and research needs associated with the effects of HABs on natural resource and human health. FWRI appropriated $3 million for projects between 1998 and 2001. Studies related to red tides received approximately one-half of all project dollars: blue-green algae $683,050; Pfiesteria and Pfiesteria-like organisms $500,000; macroalgae $83,475; and administrative costs received the remaining funds.

Harmful Algal Blooms-Current Activities

Although not all top six priorities were funded by this initiative, the members of the FHABTF and scientific community continue to address these HAB concerns in both the public and private sectors. Since 1999, much research has occurred and progress has been made to address these HAB information and research gaps. Projects (see below) have included investigation into the economic impacts of HABs, research into the development and testing of rapid detection methods for HABs; surveys of Florida's fresh and brackish waters for toxic HABs posing potential threats to environmental, animal and human health; epidemiological studies; and development of real-time monitoring and imaging programs for early detection of potential blooms. Various projects addressing effects of Karenia brevis funded through the Red Tide Control and Mitigation Program were also included.

In 2009, FWRI published a joint technical report (TR-14) with the Florida Department of Health entitled “Resource Guide for Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida” (Abbott et al., 2009). The report expands and updates the information and the FHABTF priorities that were identified in the 1999 “White Paper” and serves as a resource to guide state and local governments in developing HAB response plans.

The FHABTF continues to exist today as an advisory body serving committees and working groups created to address specific HAB issues including research, monitoring, and response priorities. Alliances and panels formed through this initiative include bodies such as the Red Tide Alliance, the Florida HAB Public Health Technical Panel, and the Red Tide Control and Mitigation Panel. Members of these bodies include representatives from state agencies, universities, local utilities, and other public and private sector personnel.

Ongoing initiatives, addressing FHABTF priorities, are funded through various sources and focus on a variety of priority items including:

determining where and when blooms occur initially in order to develop methods for predicting their development and movement;
developing new, cost effective and quicker methods of testing for species and their toxins;
developing studies to determine the fate and effects of toxins in the environment and food webs;
continuing monitoring programs statewide for accurately documenting and forecasting HABs and possibly for reduction of HABs;
developing studies focused on human health risks (such as blue-green algae in drinking water), effects of red tide aerosols, and toxins causing puffer fish poisoning, saxitoxins);
developing and promoting public outreach and communication, especially to health field professionals, to increase awareness of symptoms and the effects of exposure to toxic HAB species;
assessing economic impacts, including development of monitoring tools in cooperation with industry, to assign dollar values to specific events; and,
exploring environmentally acceptable techniques or technologies for potential control or reduction of Karenia brevis red tide blooms and their effects in Florida, such as efforts to minimize the size, intensity, or duration of blooms or reduce the environmental, economic, social, or public health impacts of future red tides in Florida.

For more information on the FHABTF history including its role in blue-green algae studies, existing committees, and related reports and presentations, please continue reading or visit the following Web sites.

Projects funded by the FHABTF 1998-2001

Assessment of macroalgae with focus on Codium – University of Florida / Florida Institute of Oceanography (USF/FIO) and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) 2000-2001

Automated instrumentation applied to cyanotoxins – University of South Florida (USF) Center for Ocean Technology 2000-2001

Cyanobacteria and related public health and education: Frequently asked questions about blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and their toxins – University of Miami (UM) 2000-2001

Cyanobacteria studies: identification, monitoring, and histopathology – University of Miami (UM) 2000-2001

Detection of toxic cyanobacteria in Florida waters – Wright State University (WSU) 2000-2001

ECOHAB supplemental for shiptime for colored dissolved organic matter and sample coordination – University of Florida / Florida Institute of Oceanography (USF/FIO) 2000-2001

Epidemiological study of potential health impacts, with focus on respiratory effects, caused by red tide Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve) – Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) 1998- 2001

Histopathological effects of Microcystin-LR on the liver of the hardhead catfish and gulf killifish – US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) 2000-2001

Investigation of toxicity of Pfiesteria-like organisms known in Florida's coastal waters – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration / National Ocean Service (NOAA/NOS) 1998-2001

Survey of Florida fresh and brackish waters for toxic cyanobacteria that can present human threats – St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) 1998-2001

Use of limno-corrals to evaluate clay as a red tide mitigation strategy - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) / Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) 1999-2001

Economic impact assessment attributable to red tide Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve) – University of Florida (UF) 1998-2000

Pilot study on the removal and use of dead fish from red tides or harmful algal bloom events – Solutions To Avoid Red Tide (START) 1998-2000

Development of molecular probes for the rapid detection of Pfiesteria-like organisms known in Florida's waters – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) 1998-1999

Development and testing of rapid chemical assays for the detection of brevetoxins in shellfish – University of Miami (UM) 1998-1999

Investigation of human health impacts attributable to harmful algal blooms – Florida Department of Health (FDOH) 1998-1999

See Red Tide Control and Mitigation Program for other projects funded under this initiative.

References

Abbott,G. M., J. H. Landsberg, A. R. Reich, K. A. Steidinger, S.Ketchen, and C. Blackmore. 2009. Resource guide for public health response to harmful algal blooms in Florida. Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Technical Report TR-14. viii + 132 p. http://research.myfwc.com/education/view_article.asp?id=20125

Anderson, D. M., and P. Hoagland. 2000. Estimated Annual Economic Impacts from Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the United States. Woods Hole Oceanog. Inst. Tech. Rept., WHOI-2000-11, p.6 (2000). http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/pertinentinfo/Economics_report.pdf

Steidinger, K. A. 2002. Florida's harmful algal bloom task force: history and focus. In: Johnson, D. and Harbison, R.D. (2002). Proceedings of health effects of exposure to cyanobacteria toxins: state of the science, August 13-14, 2002, Sarasota, Florida, pp.6-15. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/aquatic/pdfs/cyanobacteria_200208.pdf

Steidinger, K.A., Landsberg, J.H., Tomas, C.R., and Burns, J.W. 1999. Harmful algal blooms in Florida, Unpublished technical report submitted to the Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force, Florida Marine Research Institute, 63pp.



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