Although all coastal states experience HABs, the harmful organisms differ among regions of the country. As a result, harmful impacts vary in their scope and severity and so do the management challenges. The factors that cause and control blooms from initiation to decline vary not only by species but also by region due to differences in coastlines, runoff, oceanography, nutrient regime, other organisms present in the water, etc. Consequently, developing strategies for HAB management requires a regional approach. CSCOR maintains a regional approach that has advanced management capabilities in dealing with all major HAB threats, including the Northeast Red Tide, the mid-Atlantic brown tide, the Gulf of Mexico red tide, the Great Lakes cyanobacteria blooms, and the amnesiac and paralytic shellfish poisoning problems off the west coast, to name a few.
Funding for the national competitive HAB programs, ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCM HAB, is provided on a rotating regional basis. Click here for regional rotation rationale.