Moffitt, Disease interactions between wild and cultured salmonids

This project endeavors to collate and examine data regarding the presence of pathogens amongst both free-ranging and cultured salmonids across wide geographic areas, a venture that has not been taken up before. Our goal is to comprehensively evaluate this information, from overarching data trends to more minute details – all contributing towards a deeper understanding of fish disease dynamics. The other key aspect we aim to illuminate is the interplay between wild and farm-bred fish populations. Examining these data will identify any regions that provide robust enough findings to construct an epidemiological model, proving instrumental in gauging risks associated with pathogen transmission between different fish groups. We believe these steps are crucial in assessing the value of leveraging retrospective datasets to delineate epidemiological traits and define additional data needs for carrying out research and monitoring of pathogens effectively. This in turn, would empower the scientific community with critical insights into potential disease transmission risks, both within the natural ecosystem and industry-oriented aquaculture operations, resulting in better protective strategies. 

Objectives:

1. Identify and collect data on the fish health of natural populations of fish in western states with particular reference to the states of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and California.
2. Examine and evaluate the database for completeness and extent to determine correlations among historical data using time series analysis. Choose appropriate techniques for analysis.
3. Prepare preliminary maps of the distribution of salmonid pathogens and identify geographic areas to be studied in future surveys.
4. Develop deterministic models of the dynamics of disease/pathogen presence in wild salmonid populations and design risk assessment models for the likelihood of pathogen transmission between wild and cult