HARIMAP (Harmfaul Algae Risk Index MAP)

HARIMAP provides a way for the insurance industry to set insurance premiums for fish farms and other marine acquaculture in relation to algal blooms. Algal blooms are natural events, but they can be harmful to marine animals such as farmed fish and shellfish. Shellfish exposed to algal blooms can also be toxic or even fatal to humans and as such exposed farms are closed until the event has passed and cleared. These closures are both costly to the owner and the insurance company who insures against such events. In order to set realisitic insurance premiums, the insurance industry needs a way of scoring the risk of algal blooms at a given location in the ocean where aquaculture may be sited. HARIMAP takes data from satellites and numerical models to generate such a risk score that can be presented as a map and used alongside standard maps and charts of the marine environment. The products are delivered by SeaZone, which is an established supplier of marine data products.