HABs in the Philippines

Loss of life and livelihood—these are the two major effects of harmful algal blooms or HABs, more commonly referred to as red tide. HABs are caused by microorganisms called phytoplankton, some are capable of producing toxins. When these organisms multiply and reach unnatural numbers, that can be considered a bloom.

Harmful algal blooms occur when phytoplankton are ingested by shellfish, along with the toxins they produce. The toxins do not affect the shellfish and there are no visible signs to indicate if a shellfish contains the said toxins. But they can be fatal to humans when people consume affected shellfish. Effects range from tingling and prickling sensations for mild cases; headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, progressing muscular paralysis, along with light-headedness and incoherent speech for moderate cases and respiratory difficulty for severe cases, which can lead to death due to respiratory failure.

Toxins are not the only detrimental effect of HABs. When the multitude of phytoplankton die, they can cause harm by clogging the gills of fish or by depleting the oxygen in the water due to the decomposition of HABs cells which can lead to massive fish kill.

The HABs Watch Project

The Real-time Monitoring and Early Warning for HABs Using High Throughput Imaging and Molecular Methods or HABs Watch Project was implemented to do just that—monitor HABs species in real-time and provide early warning to relevant stakeholders even before the onset of a bloom and enable them take precautionary measures to prevent loss of life and livelihood.

Funded by the Commission on Higher Education through its Leading the Advancement of Knowledge in Agriculture and Sciences (LAKAS) Program, the HABs Watch Project is the largest consortium of State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) in a project. Headed by Dr. Deo Florence Onda through the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines, the project is implemented on a national scale and involves SUCs across the country, including Mariano Marcos State University, University of the Philippines Baguio, Central Luzon State University, Palawan State University, Western Philippines University, University of the Philippines Tacloban College, Mindanao State University at Naawan and Zamboanga State College of Marine Science and Technology and in partnership with collaborators from the University of Santa Cruz in California.

HABs Watch will set up floating laboratories equipped with Imaging FlowCytobots or IFCBs, which are specialized equipment capable of photographing and counting 33,000 images within an hour. Through artificial intelligence models developed by project collaborators from UP Baguio, the IFCB units can be trained to identify and quantify HABs species and provide real-time cell counts to our servers. We can then in turn monitor the numbers and alert the relevant stakeholders when identified HABs species numbers increase. This will allow the local government units, national government agencies and industry partners to take precautionary measures before the bloom occurs, thus minimizing, if not completely preventing health risks, economic loss and adverse environmental effects.

The project believes that the HABs situation is different in every locality and in order to effectively address this, we must first understand the problem through the local context. Researchers from all over the Philippines involved in the project will be trained to utilize methods and equipment for HABs research. Over the course of the project, researchers will conduct regular sampling and monitoring efforts in their respective localities to better understand the HABs situation in their area. The data gathered from these long-term studies can provide necessary information that they can share with local government units and agencies responsible for HABs mitigation.

Moreover, part of the project’s goals is to inform and educate more people about harmful algal blooms. In line with this objective, the project will set up a website and a mobile application that contains live monitoring data from the IFCBs, as well as reference materials including digital educational materials, phytoplankton database and scientific papers on HABs.

The HABs Watch Project was developed to explore a more proactive approach in addressing HABs across the country, safeguarding the environment and the nation through science, technology and innovation.