Captive and free-ranging sea star disease findings from the Seattle, Washington, waterfront during the 2013 sea star ‘wasting disease’ unusual mortality event
Presentation Abstract
Sea star mortality in several genera including Pycnopodia and Pisaster was unusually high along the west coast of the United States, September-current (December) 2013. Captive and free-ranging animals were analyzed for signs of disease using a variety of diagnostics including cytology, microbiology, histopathology, and transmission electron microscopy. Mortality in regions of the Seattle waterfront and in the captive collection of Pycnopodia maintained at the Seattle Aquarium (n=48) was 100%. Disease was initially observed only in Pycnopodia species (specifically the Sunflower sea star) and over the period of ~ 1 month included a variety of other sea stars including Pisaster and Evasterias. Mortality rates in affected regions of the Salish sea continues to be high (December, 2013). Multiple organizations and collaborators (Cornell University, Wildlife Conservation Society, SeaDoc Society, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Vancouver Aquarium, USGS National Wildlife Health Center, and NW ZooPath) are participating in the ongoing efforts to determine the cause of this unusual mortality event in sea stars. The results to-date of the disease investigation by the Seattle Aquarium and others will be presented.
Session Title
Session S-09E: Marine, Freshwater and Terrestrial Species: Threats and Conservation
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2-5-2014 10:30 AM
End Date
2-5-2014 12:00 PM
Location
Room 613-614
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Starfishes--Diseases--Washington (State)--Seattle Region; Starfishes--Mortality--Washington (State)--Seattle Region
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Seattle Aquarium
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Seattle Region (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Captive and free-ranging sea star disease findings from the Seattle, Washington, waterfront during the 2013 sea star ‘wasting disease’ unusual mortality event
Room 613-614
Sea star mortality in several genera including Pycnopodia and Pisaster was unusually high along the west coast of the United States, September-current (December) 2013. Captive and free-ranging animals were analyzed for signs of disease using a variety of diagnostics including cytology, microbiology, histopathology, and transmission electron microscopy. Mortality in regions of the Seattle waterfront and in the captive collection of Pycnopodia maintained at the Seattle Aquarium (n=48) was 100%. Disease was initially observed only in Pycnopodia species (specifically the Sunflower sea star) and over the period of ~ 1 month included a variety of other sea stars including Pisaster and Evasterias. Mortality rates in affected regions of the Salish sea continues to be high (December, 2013). Multiple organizations and collaborators (Cornell University, Wildlife Conservation Society, SeaDoc Society, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Vancouver Aquarium, USGS National Wildlife Health Center, and NW ZooPath) are participating in the ongoing efforts to determine the cause of this unusual mortality event in sea stars. The results to-date of the disease investigation by the Seattle Aquarium and others will be presented.
