DECADE ACTION INCUBATOR 12

Fostering transformative HAB sciences for societal applications

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur when algae, microscopic organisms living in aquatic environment, produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish and other marine life.

The HABs can cause fish kills, and serious health effects and even death, posing a great threat to human health and sustainable seafood provision.

It has been observed that harmful algal blooms occur with higher frequency and intensity across the Western Pacific over the past years, due to environmental changes caused by human activities. HAB is a natural process that we cannot stop its occurrence, but there are ways to lessen its effects.

This incubator aims to engage various stakeholders into the development of “transformative HABs science”, in order to better understand and detect HABs, provide early warning of when and where blooms will occur, and mitigate their impacts to human health and society.