This is SeaTalk: Ocean News from the University of Delaware.

If you live near water, you may have heard the term “harmful algal bloom.” HABs, as they’re called, are caused by a small group of micro-organisms that grow rapidly under certain environmental conditions. These large outbreaks have increasingly affected marine and freshwater areas throughout the country. Some blooms have been known to kill fish, birds, and marine mammals, and their presence in shellfish and sea air mist can harm human health. Delaware Sea Grant scientists are researching ways to better monitor HABs and determining what kinds of environmental changes trigger certain types of blooms. This is SeaTalk, a public service announcement from the University of Delaware, the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, and this station.