TEST WELCOME
US-HABCTI
A collection of HAB control regulations and permitting information to help users navigate algaecide use in marine and freshwater.
TEST WELCOME
WHAT WE DO
WHY IT MATTERS
WHAT WE SUPPORT
RESOURCE NAVIGATION
Access to Key Tools
Easily find permits, research, technologies, and approved products related to HAB control.
ACTS AND REGULATORY AGENCIES
Permitting Laws
Laws and regulations requiring permits for algaecide approval and deployment.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
TEST Regulates the use, sale, distribution, and registration of pesticides and algicides.
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)
Authorizes the EPA to set pesticide tolerances in foods, including products used in marine or freshwater sites where fish or shellfish may be exposed and consumed by humans.
Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA)
Establishes a fee-for-service system for pesticide registration at the EPA.
Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Prohibits anybody from discharging "pollutants" through a "point source" into a "water of the United States" unless they have an NPDES permit.
State Policies and Permits
Each state has its own pesticide permitting and registration process. Although additional regulations may apply, each state must follow the minimum pesticide requirements set forth by FIFRA. State-specific entities such as the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Public Health, and State Wildlife Commissions are often involved in the review of Experimental Use Permit applications and pesticide registration.
Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA)
Regulates the intentional transportation and disposal of materials into ocean waters.
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
Prohibits unauthorized obstruction or alteration of U.S. navigable waters. A permit from the USACE is required for work or structures in, over, or under these waters, including many water bodies and wetlands regulated by the Corps.
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
A permit is required for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States.
Acts Requiring Compliance TEST
Regulatory statutes with which the deployment of algaecide products must comply.
TEST Endangered Species Act
Ensures actions authorized, funded, or carried out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat of such species. EPA has an ecological risk assessment process for the evaluation of potential risk to endangered and threatened species from exposure to pesticides.
Magnuson-Stevens Act
Protects habitat that fish need to spawn, breed, feed and grow to maturity and ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood.
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
Prohibits the disturbance of a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including but not limited to migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering (Level B harassment).
National Environment Policy Act (NEPA)
Requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions.
Migratory Birds Treaty Act (MBTA)
Prevents the taking, possession, transportation, sale, purchase, barter, importation, exportation, and banding or marking of migratory birds unless otherwise permitted. Under the MBTA, “take” refers to bird death by intentional (hunting) or incidental means. As “incidental taking” may result from human activities that disturb bird behavior, migratory bird habitats essential to standard behaviors, including nesting, foraging, and migration, are also protected under this act.
National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA)
Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate and protect areas of the marine environment with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational or esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries.
Section 307 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA)
Referred to as the “federal consistency” provision of the CZMA, gives states a strong voice in federal agency decision making, which they otherwise would not have, for activities that may affect a state’s coastal uses or resources.
TEST CONTROL STRATEGIES
TEST Types of HAB Control Technologies
TEST Determining what type of product you have is key as each type has a different process for registration
Biochemical Pesticides
Biochemical Pesticides are substances that- (1) are naturally occuring chemicals or are synthetically dervived equivalents; (2) have a history of exposure to humans and the environment demonstrating minimal toxicity, or in the case of a synthetically-derived biochemical pesticides, are equivalent to a naturally occuring chemical that have such a history; and (3) have a nontoxic mode of action to the target pest(s). Biochemical pesticides include substances, such as insect sex pheromones, which interfere with mating, as well as various scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps. Because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a substance meets the criteria for classification as a biochemical pesticide, EPA has established the Biochemical Classification Committee to make such decisions.
DISCLAIMER
Warning & Report
Content last updated as of: July 20, 2026, Monday
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