Sensors for Monitoring Harmful Algae, Cyanobacteria and Their Toxins

11 about what is known/unknown with regards to the target species and/or toxin(s) involved in the event. b) Respond to crisis situations by using the opportunity to introduce/roll-out pertinent sensor technology. The idea is to be prepared with instrumentation, protocols and experience that can support an informed response to a local/ regional event. We also need to be prepared to assist with providing information/vetting for available instruments, thereby assisting in the ‘fit-for- purpose’ strategy needed in management. c) Continue to work to increase stakeholder engagement: Over the years, the HAB community (which is relatively small) has been successful in developing partnerships with local, state and federal management officials across the US, but we still have work to do engaging and educating a broader stakeholder audience. Some of the suggested groups to include for increasing the partnership networks include the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference, local aquaculture companies, and businesses that rely on access to safe water for production (e.g. the food and beverage industry). a. Engage stakeholders in the process of ongoing instrument development. The majority of instruments, if not all, undergo improvement iterations in hardware, software, capabilities, etc. Researchers and manufacturers need to strengthen collaborative efforts with managers and other operational stakeholders at the conception stage in order to ensure needs will be met in subsequent versions. d) Securing long-term funding for monitoring networks: Expanding our reach to stakeholders within commerce can potentially open avenues for sustained funding of sensor platforms that benefit particular industries. e) Be poised to justify the cost of monitoring efforts in local/ regional settings. This would include economics experts to measure the cost of impacts from past and potential events, in a manner that is informative but not alarmist. By homing in on a key management issue affecting the local community (economically, recreationally), we will have a better chance at successfully engaging public support for ongoing HAB monitoring initiatives. f) To help offset costs associated with deployments, look to utilize existing platforms and consider this approach in expandability with new infrastructure build outs. g) Support development of community resources and repositories for standardized reagents, probes, and detection algorithms. Such a repository could be modeled after existing non-profits such as www.addgene.org. Breakout Session B – How do current technologies relate to stakeholder’s needs? • Q1: Do currently available detection technologies meet stakeholder needs? Some current technologies meet management needs, but that depends upon what the management goal is: take action/follow an event before it becomes a concern or wait until a metric (cell concentrations, toxin, etc.) reaches a level of concern. The former always has a lower limit of detection than the latter – thus, the answer to this charge question depends on the specific management need. Among many stakeholders, scientists, water utility, farmers, and government agencies, there are needs that are not being met towards assessing effects on natural resources.