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Koi swirl in an indoor pond at the Hatfield Marine Science Center

Shipping stress is a major challenge to ornamental fish importers. Oregon Sea Grant's Marine Ornamental program, an innovative collaboration with the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and the Oregon Coast Community College, conducts research aimed at improving standards of care, husbandry and importation in the ornamental fish industry.

Research:

Aquaculture

Current projects (2006-2008)

Modeling of shipping-related stress in marine ornamental fish
Molecular Marker-Based Pedigree Reconstruction for Mixed-Family Selection in Pacific Oysters
Nonlethal Screening Method for Detection of Bacterial Kidney Disease in Pacific Salmon

Modeling of shipping-related stress in marine ornamental fish (R/SAQ-09)

Jerry Heidel
College of Veterinary Medicine
134B Magruder Hall
Oregon State University
Phone: 541-737-6964
Fax: 541-737-6817
E-mail: jerry.heidel@oregonstate.edu

Timothy Miller-Morgan
Oregon Sea Grant Extension/College of Veterinary Medicine
OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Drive
Newport, OR 97365
Phone: 541-867-0265
Fax: 541-867-0369
E-mail: tim.miller-morgan@oregonstate.edu

Despite care in packing and shipping, many marine ornamental fish die soon after arrival at their destination following transoceanic transport. Heidel and Miller-Morgan contend that deterioration of the shipping environment, specifically water-quality factors such as pH, ammonia, and carbon dioxide levels, causes profound metabolic disturbances in these fish that can lead to their death after delivery. The researchers will test actual shipments of common clownfish for changes in water chemistry and fish blood chemistry; then they will set up a shipping simulation using the same variety of fish and measure their response to changes in shipping-water chemistry. The objective is to optimize protocols fish dealers follow to acclimate fish after delivery, thus increasing fish survival.

Molecular Marker-Based Pedigree Reconstruction for Mixed-Family Selection in Pacific Oysters (R/SAQ-10)

Chris Langdon
Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station
OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Drive
Newport, OR 97365
Phone: 541-867-0231
Fax: 541-867-0345
E-mail: chris.langdon@oregonstate.edu

Mark Camara
USDA-ARS/Dept. of Animal Science
OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Drive
Newport, OR 97365
Phone: 541-867-0296
Fax: 541-867-0138
E-mail: camaram@onid.orst.edu

Pacific oysters carry a high genetic load (a high frequency of mutations). As a consequence, selective breeding requires careful control of pedigrees by separating families during all phases of the life cycle in order to prevent inbreeding. The labor and equipment costs of maintaining separate families are high. Langdon and Camara are investigating ways to reduce these costs by combining families during culture, then separating them after harvest using genetic “fingerprinting” techniques. If they succeed, growers could improve their stocks using similar techniques, perhaps developing their own “boutique” oyster varieties to open new markets.

Related information: Tiny capsules may help boost seafood supply (News release)

Nonlethal Screening Method for Detection of Bacterial Kidney Disease in Pacific Salmon (R/SAQ-11)

Anna Cavinato
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Eastern Oregon University
One University Blvd.
La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541-962-3561
Fax: 541-962-3873
E-mail: acavinat@eou.edu

There are no reliable, nonlethal, sampling techniques for most infectious diseases of fish. In the case of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), diagnosticians must rely primarily on information obtained from dead fish. BKD is a major health problem of cultured salmonids, particularly hatchery-reared Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus sp. In the Columbia River basin, BKD kills thousands of salmon every year, resulting in costly efforts to reduce this disease through the use of medicated feed and injectable drugs, an effort that cost Oregon hatcheries about $143,000 in 2004 alone. Cavinato will lead a team of researchers from Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Health and Science University, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in an effort to develop a nonlethal, noninvasive screening technique using a fiber-optic probe to scan fish through skin and scales. Data from the probe would be analyzed using near-infrared spectroscopy to detect small changes in body composition that the researchers believe are caused by BKD.

Related information: Anna Cavinato: Detecting Fish Disease with Near-Infrared Waves [Flash video in two parts: Part I | Part II]

Sea Grant National Strategic Investment: Oyster Disease Research Program

Mapping expression QTL for genes associated with summer mortality resistance in Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas (R/SAQ-13-NSI)

Langdon is seeking to identify the regulatory elements for key stress resistance genes that confer resistance to summer mortality and thus accelerate the development of a program of marker-assisted selection for strains of Pacific oysters resistant to summer die-off. The most direct benefit of the proposed research will be to researchers and shellfish breeders. However, once the results are incorporated into selective breeding efforts, shellfish farmers should be able to use and benefit from the improved oyster strains. A better understanding of the genetic-level stress response of oysters to summer mortality conditions will greatly facilitate the effectiveness of breeding programs to develop families of oysters that are less susceptible to this syndrome. This could result in substantial improvements in yields and profits for the West coast shellfish industry.