Occurrence, distribution and causes of gill disease in salmonids in British Columbia

Description

Emergent gill diseases and disorders among Atlantic salmon reared in seawater open net pens, such as proliferative gill inflammation (PGI), proliferative gill disease (PGD), and amoebic gill disease (AGD), cause significant losses in many countries. The novel occurrence of AGD in British Columbia raised awareness of the need for improved understanding of gill-associated diseases in farmed and wild salmonids, the extent to which infectious agents associated with these diseases are shared between wild and farmed salmon, and whether environmental factors play a role in triggering gill disease.

The main goal of the proposed research is to generate knowledge about the distribution and significance of infectious agents associated with salmon gill disorders in British Columbia to facilitate the mitigation of these disorders.

Program name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Years

Two years: 2018-2020

Principal investigator

Simon Jones, research scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Pacific Region
Email: simon.jones@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Team members

Gary Marty, senior diagnostic fish pathologist, BC Ministry of Agriculture’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory
Kyle Garver, research scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Pacific Region
Jackie King, research scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Pacific Region
Chrys-Ellen M. Neville, research biologist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Pacific Region
Amy Long, research scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Pacific Region
Amelia Mahony, research technician, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Pacific Region

Collaborators

Diane Morrison, Director of Fish Health and Food Safety, Marine Harvest Canada
Tim Hewison, Fish Health and R&D Manager, Grieg Seafoods BC Ltd.
Barry Milligan, Fish Health Director and veterinarian, Cermaq Canada Ltd.