The Republic of Korea hosted the 15thInternational Conference on Harmful Algae (ICHA), October 29 – November 2, 2012. The meeting featured the latest scientific research by the international harmful algal blooms (HAB) community on topics including population dynamics, toxins, modeling/forecasting, taxonomy, genomics, management, control and mitigation.
NOAA representatives who gave presentations, chaired sessions and represented national and international HAB programs, included NCCOS’s Robert Magnien, Alan Lewitus, Greg Doucette, Steve Morton, Wayne Litaker and Pat Tester along with Stephanie Moore and Vera Trainer from NOAA Fisheries. Twenty presentations described results of NCCOS-funded projects conducted through the national competitive research programs ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCMHAB. The conferenceBest Student Poster award went to MERHAB-funded student Theresa K. Hattenrath-Lehmann ofStony Brook University.
ICHA, held once every two years, is the only international conference devoted to HABs and allows for the broad exchanges of new findings in the field and critical interactions of U.S. and international researchers and managers to advance programs including HAB forecasting, detection and control to protect public health and economic interests.