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MARINFORSKHAV-Marine ressurser og miljø - havmiljø

Running the gauntlet of PAthogens and ClimatE (PACE): impacts from infectious diseases on wild fish in the high north

Alternative title: Effekter av klima og patogener på vill laksefisk i Norge

Awarded: NOK 10.0 mill.

Project Number:

303301

Application Type:

Project Period:

2020 - 2024

Location:

Partner countries:

Wild salmon has been an integral part of the Norwegian cultural heritage ever since people inhabited the river banks of the coast of Norway. Salmon farming has during the last 40 years gone from being a side business of coastal farmers, to one of Norway´s biggest exporting industries. This has led to an enormous increase in salmon in coastal waters of Norway, which has dramatically altered the disease dynamics between farmed and wild salmon. The effect of the parasitic sea lice is well documented. In contrast, knowledge about other pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and microparasites are poorly documented. In Norway, new restrictions on fish farming have been enforced in southwestern Norway due to the well documented impacts from sea lice on wild salmonids. In Northern-Norway the effects of sea lice on wild fish have till now been minimal, because of the relative low density of fish farms in the north and low water temperatures. However, this is about to change. Both temperature (because of climate change) and fish farm production (because of restrictions in the southwest and high demand for farmed salmon) are increasing the northernmost areas of the Norwegian coast. These areas inhabit some of the largest remaining wild Atlantic salmon populations in the world. Wild salmon in the northern Norway has never been exposed to high infestation pressure, and the question now is how these populations will cope with change that is coming. In this research project we aim answer (1) what type of pathogens is present in wild populations of salmon has along the coast of Norway (2) how does the immune system of these populations vary from north to south (3) how are the behavior and spawning success of wild salmon and sea trout affected by these pathogens

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Little is known about the diversity and distribution of salmonid pathogens and their impacts on individual performance. In Norway, this knowledge is essential to understanding ecosystem dynamics given that terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments are linked by migratory salmonids. A changing seascape due to anthropogenic activity and climate change means host-pathogen dynamics are likely to shift, necessitating an understanding of these processes for both fundamental and applied science. Presently, this knowledge is lacking in Norway. The PACE project will implement state of the art tools in fish biopsy and tracking to model the diversity and distribution of viruses, bacteria, and parasites of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and sea trout (Salmo trutta) along a latitudinal gradient in Norway and evaluate how these affect performance. Southern Norway is characterized by warmer temperatures and higher density of aquaculture and also more threatened stocks of salmon and sea trout. Northern regions are now exposed to relatively rapid warming and soon will encounter expansion of aquaculture activities. The interaction between climate and pathogens could threaten the viability of aquaculture as well as the native wild fish stocks in the north. In three work packages we will use molecular genomics to reveal pathogen biogeography and with biotelemetry and bioenergetics modeling we will investigate how pathogens impact fish performance in terms of physiology, behaviour, and life history. Results from the PACE project will be new and highly valuable knowledge to be used by aquaculture and industry regulators working to maximize sustainability of these operations. Tourism, fishing industries, and the environment will benefit from a more complete understanding of the salmonid host-pathogen ecosystem developed through PACE.

Publications from Cristin

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Funding scheme:

MARINFORSKHAV-Marine ressurser og miljø - havmiljø