The 2026 Gulf of Maine HAB Science Symposium will be held April 14-15 at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services office located at 222 International Drive (Suite 175) in Portsmouth, NH. Directions to the facility and a map are available HERE.
Registration for this meeting is now open and will close on Friday, April 5: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/8eZOZSOnQ8SgxkO9IDEOBQ. Please be sure to register in advance, regardless of whether you plan to attend in person or remotely.
The main meeting will be held on April 14, with space reserved on the morning of the 15th for team meetings and workshops. The goal of this Symposium is to facilitate discussion of ongoing issues, priorities, and concerns, and to share information that supports our understanding of HABs in this region.
This meeting is supported by the Community Engagement Core of the WHCOHH through grants from the National Science Foundation (OCE-2418297) and the National Institute of Environmental Health (2P01ES028938-06).
We welcome your feedback on the meeting agenda and format! Please send suggestions & questions to Mindy Richlen.
April 14, 2026
| 8:30-9:00 am | Coffee & breakfast |
| 9:00-9:10 am | Welcome & agenda review Mindy Richlen, Don Anderson, Mike Brosnahan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) |
| 9:15-9:45 am | Cooling trends in the Gulf of Maine Charles Stock, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) |
| 9:45-10:15 am | Emerging HAB technologies and monitoring updates Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network – New England (HABON-NE) Mike Brosnahan (WHOI) |
| 10:15-10:30 am | Group discussion, Q&A |
| 10:30-10:45 am | Break |
| 10:45-11:00 am | HAB Science Updates |
| 11:00-11:15 am | Coastal features on Cape Cod trap and intensify Dinophysis blooms Serena Sung-Clarke (WHOI) |
| 11:15-11:30 am | Novel genetic tools for toxic Pseudo-nitzschia detection - recent activities and updates Matt Harke, Gloucester Marine Genomic Institute (GMGI) |
| 11:30-11:45 am | Effects of lowered pH on Dinophysis acuminata cell physiology and cellular processes Nour Ayache (WHOI) |
| Regional Forecasting: 2025 review and 2026 outlook | |
| 11:45am-12:00pm | GOM regional retrospective for 2025 and updates for 2026 Yizhen Li, Rick Stumpf, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) |
| 12:00-12:15 pm | 2025 Hydromet Review; 2026 Outlook & NWS Future Plans William Leatham, NOAA Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC) |
| 12:15-12:30 pm | PST Index update for 2026 Don Anderson (WHOI) |
| 12:30-1:45 pm | Lunch |
| 1:45-2:45 pm | Regional Updates & Observations |
| 1. Biotoxins and Shellstock Monitoring Components of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP) Kimberly Shafer, Joe Boutilier, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) |
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| 2. Spatial and temporal patterns of HABs and toxicity in ME Tyler Spillane, Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR) |
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| 3. Spatial and temporal patterns of HABs and toxicity in NH Michaela Edwards (University of New Hampshire) and Jenna Meyer (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, NH DES) |
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| 4. Pseudo-nitzschia observations and dynamics in the Gulf of Maine. Kate Hubbard FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FL FWCCI) |
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| 2:45-3:00 pm | Q&A; Break |
| 3:00-4:00 pm | Regional Updates & Observations (continued) |
| 5. Spatial and temporal patterns of HABs and toxicity in MA Melissa Campbell and Emma Gallagher, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) |
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| 6. Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) surveys - Alexandrium and Pseudo-nitzschia in 2025 Scott Libby (Battelle) and Chris Goodwin (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority; MWRA) |
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| 7. Rhode Island HAB Update David Borkman, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) |
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| 4:00-4:30 pm | Introduction to Pseudo-nitzschia response planning activity Kate Hubbard (FL FWCC); Matt Harke (GMGI) |
| 4:30-5:00 pm | Discussion and other updates |
| 5:00 pm | Adjourn |
April 15, 2026
| Meeting room A |
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| 8:30-9:00 am | Coffee & snacks |
| 9:00-11:30 am | Pseudo-nitzschia response planning activity Kate Hubbard (FL FWRI), Matt Harke (GMGI), Shelly Trigg (UW), Peter Countway (Bigelow), and Mike Brosnahan (WHOI) |
| 1:00-3:30 pm | MERHAB project team meeting (offsite at NERACOOS) Mike Brosnahan (WHOI) |