As you start to enjoy warmer weather and are out on the water, you may start to see algal blooms. There may be concern about whether what you see is harmless or harmful. Below you will find a handy list of resources to help you decide if you should be concerned or let it live as you float on by. In case you missed the Michigan Sea Grant’s recent HABs 101 webinar earlier this year, you can find out the basics of identifying harmful blooms. The recording for that can be found here: https://youtu.be/RzV1wSLIh_4?si=JBsuC-nooEZvPiJ4
Additional resources and guides for HABs:
- HABs FAQ (EGLE/MDHHS/MDARD)
- HABs – Pets & Livestock (MDARD)
- Identifying HABs video (EGLE)
- EGLE Webinar: HABS in MI’s Recreational Waters, 2023
- HABs StoryMap (EGLE)
- 2022 HAB Data Summary (MDHHS) – this is the most recent data summary available, but 2023 and 2024 will be published soon!
- 2024 had 92 confirmed HAB reports of the 156 potential blooms reported to the State. This is the highest number of confirmed HAB reports since we began tracking in 2017. For comparison, 2023 had 64 HABs confirmed of the 159 potential blooms reported that season.