United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-06-30 monographic deposited born digital 27 p. GA 1.13:RCED-99-192 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192 P0b002ee180384b2e f:rc99192 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192 RCED-99-192 Health hazards Plants (organisms) Oceanographic research Interagency relations Environmental monitoring Toxic substances Research programs Marine resources conservation North Carolina Chesapeake Bay NOAA Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms Program Pfiesteria Letter Report RCED Outbreaks of the toxic algae Pfiesteria in the Chesapeake Bay and in North Carolina estuaries have received national attention. The outbreaks are part of a larger problem of harmful algae that represent a significant and expanding threat to human health and marine resources along the U.S. coastline and around the world. This report (1) discusses the available information on harmful algae and their effects on human health and the environment and (2) describes the status of federal efforts to address the problem of harmful algae, particularly the coordination of research and management strategies among the federal agencies. GAO found that according to most current research, the toxins produced by harmful algae can affect human health and marine ecosystems in various ways. The toxins can kill or injure fish that come in direct contact with them and can accumulate in the tissues of fish and shellfish at levels that are harmful or lethal when ingested by larger fish, sea birds, marine mammals, or humans. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192.pdf GAO/RCED-99-192 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-192 Letter Report GAO/RCED-99-192; Environmental Protection: Coordinated Federal Efforts Are; Health hazards Plants (organisms) Oceanographic research Interagency relations Environmental monitoring Toxic substances Research programs Marine resources conservation North Carolina Chesapeake Bay NOAA Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms Program Pfiesteria Public Law 105-383