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Large-Scale Environmental Influences on Aquatic Animal Health
Citation:
FISHER, W. S. Large-Scale Environmental Influences on Aquatic Animal Health. In Proceedings, 2nd Bilateral Conference Between Russia and the United States, Shepherdstown, WV, September 21 - 28, 2003. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, MI, 135-151, (2005).
Impact/Purpose:
Paper for conference
Description:
In the latter portion of the 20th century, North America experienced numerous large-scale mortality events affecting a broad diversity of aquatic animals. Short-term forensic investigations of these events have sometimes characterized a causative agent or condition, but have rarely provided sufficient insight to predict and manage aquatic animal health. Although traditional tools (e.g., microbiology, parasitology and pathology) remain essential, technological advances in remote sensing and information management can be applied to better understand local events, particularly in the context of environmental conditions extending across broad regional scales. These additional tools will allow exploration of climate, weather, ultraviolet light exposure, airborne dust, and regional land use factors on disease and disease susceptibility. Ultimately, regional environmental observing systems could be used to forecast health risks to aquatic resources. One such system is under development in the Gulf of Mexico to forecast red tide events that have extended along the Gulf coastal states of the U.S. and Mexico. Yet, such an approach requires a meaningful understanding of large-scale environmental effects on disease. Data collected from diseases and mortalities of aquatic species must be integrated and examined in broad temporal and spatial contexts for possible links with regional environmental factors. A pilot program for integrating disease and mortality data from multiple species with large-scale environmental factors has been initiated, but has not been broadly implemented. Implementation will ultimately require a comprehensive monitoring and data collection network, rather than the case-by-case, species-by-species reporting that currently exists. A pilot program for standardized disease and mortality data collection also exists, but has not been widely exploited. Regardless, these programs, combined with the new opportunities afforded by remote sensing and information technology, can be used to generate epizootiological models of large-scale environmental influences on aquatic disease, and can ultimately lead to forecasting disease and mortality events.