<>Hello, For anyone investigating linkages between marine mammal health and die-offs and harmful algal blooms (red tides, domoic acid, etc.), the following items might be of interest: - The 4th USHAB meeting will be held October 29 - November 1, 2007 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA. Note that the deadline for registration is September 1, 2007. More information can be found at: http://www.whoi.edu/sbl/liteSite.do?litesiteid=13352 - The Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program has recently published a request for proposals that can be found at the following link: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/opportunities/grants/fundingarchive/fy2008/Ecohab_08... Please note that proposals are due no later than October 4, 2007, 4:00 PM EST. The section relating to NOAA's interests is the following: HABs and related biotoxin risk must be managed if we are to ensure public health, build viable and valuable sustainable fisheries, protect living marine resources including threatened and endangered species and their habitats, and effectively manage coastal activities and resources. NOAA's interest is in developing: 1. Quantitative understanding of HABs and, where applicable, their toxins in relation to the surrounding environment with the intent of developing new tools, models, and prevention strategies to aid managers in coastal environments, 2. Models of trophic transfer of toxins and assessment of impacts on higher trophic levels, 3. Effective techniques for prevention, control, and mitigation to assist in reducing the impacts of HABs and their toxins, and 4. Assessments of the socioeconomic impacts of HABs on coastal communities and identification of opportunities to mitigate these impacts. Although NOAA has a strong interest in the public health impacts of HABs, funding for research on the human health impacts of HABs is provided by the Oceans and Human Health Initiative (OHHI). Multi-disciplinary regional ecosystem investigations leading to development of operational ecological forecasting capabilities in areas with severe, recurrent blooms along the US coast will continue to be a major priority. These can be either in new areas, areas that have been studied previously but where new or unanswered questions remain, or involve comparisons between ecosystems. Where ECOHAB or other funding has already established a foundation of knowledge, the need for additional research must be clearly articulated. Projects to be funded by NOAA must demonstrate a clear link to management issues and specify outcomes that will provide managers and the public with sound scientific information for making decisions. Articulation of outcome-based management goals is required in proposals (see Section Iv.B.5.A.(3) Expected Results, Benefits, Outputs and Outcomes), and recipients will be expected to report progress toward achieving outcome-based goals annually. NOAA definitions and examples of outputs and outcomes can be accessed at www.cop.noaa.gov.