Gyrodactylosis: an emerging threat to cod mariculture

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Gyrodactylosis is a skin and gill disease of fish caused by small ectoparasitic worms. Preliminary research by the applicants indicates that there is a rich, but poorly understood, species pool of these parasites on wild gadoid fishes (cod, haddock, pollock and hake) in the North Atlantic. Outbreaks of gyrodactylosis have started to occur in cage operations growing cod in Norwegian waters, with methods to treat stocks held in sea cages being developed. It is totally predictable that the emergence of gyrodactylosis of cod in the North Atlantic will follow a similar pattern to that of sea lice, a serious problem wherever Atlantic salmon are being grown under aquaculture conditions. Like gyrodactylosis, the sea lice problem became first established in Norway, and as Atlantic salmon aquaculture developed elsewhere, the same problem appeared in Scotland, Ireland, Eastern Canada, and most recently in Western Canada. The present proposal will bring together experts from Canada, Norway, Scotland, Denmark, Iceland, and the United States of America and representatives of industry and government in eastern Canada. Discussion will address the potential damage of gyrodactylosis to the developing mariculture of cod. This will result in the development of collaborative R&D proposals to combat this disease. Not only will this disease effect cod grown in aquaculture, because the parasites proliferate so rapidly within the sea cages, but these would also become the foci of infection reinvading wild fish. Having a sound understanding of the ecology of the parasites and disease transmission will provide commercial opportunities for the development of such products as diagnostic tools and protocols for effective delivery of treatments in sea cages as well as the development of prophylactic measures.