An action plan of Monitoring, Investigation and Management for Harmful Algal Blooms in the Tam Giang Lagoon (Vietnam) under the climate change and global warming effects

The Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon, the largest brackish water lagoon in Southeast Asia, is an important part of Thua Thien Hue province in terms of tourism, fisheries, agriculture, food, fodder plants, water supply, and it provides recreational opportunities to the local population. However, this microcosm of the complex socio-ecological challenges is suffering from a considreable anthropogenic pressure and appears subject to a process of progressive environmental deterioration.The overall objective of the project is to diagnose cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins occurrence within the Lagoon water and their aquatic products. By using a multidisciplinary approach integrating toxicology and ecotoxicology, ecology, analytical chemistry and public health, the project aims to: 1) Determine clear explanations for the correlations between cyanobacterial blooms, their proliferation, cyanotoxins production, and 2) Their transfer and bioaccumulation in different fish species and seafood caught in this lagoon. Benefits to Canada rely on the collaboration between participating researchers, planned research collaboration and expertise from each partner. The suggested project will help all participants- researchers to perform their methodologies which can be applied for different locations in Vietnam, In France and in Canada with different scales, to improve our insights and our skills of modelling related to water management and environment monitoring, especially dealing with Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Bloom issues which become a nationwide problem in Canada in general and in Atlantic Canada in particular. Moreover, it could help the further collaborations of Canadian Universities, especially Dalhousie, in the role of leadership and coordination with our Vietnamese and French partners.