Project Information

Title: Investigations of Disease Factors Affecting Declines of Pacific Herring Populations in PWS 98162

Project Year and Number: 1998: 98162

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 1999: 99162-A, 1999: 99162-B, 1997: 97162, 1997: 97162-SUPP, 1996: 96162

Principal Investigator (PI): Richard Kocan (University of Washington)

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: Chris Kennedy, Gary Marty

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Pacific Herring

Abstract: Field and controlled laboratory studies will focus on viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHS) and Ichthyophonus hoferi, a pathogenic fungus, to determine their role in the disease(s) and mortality observed in Prince William Sound herring since 1993. Herring will be monitored for signs of disease and immune status, while specific pathogen-free herring will be used to determine the degree of mortality, blood chemical changes, and pathogenicity produced by these organisms alone and in combination with exposure to stressors such as petroleum hydrocarbons, temperature and crowding. Wild herring will be studied under laboratory conditions to determine the course of VHS infection associated with captivity and their immune status and susceptibility to reinfection. Protocols for field evaluation of the immune status of whole herring populations will be developed and field tested.


Proposal: Not Available

Reports:
Final Report: View (13,354 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available