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1997-1998 Brown Trout Susceptibility Three 140-gallon Living Streams were used to hold brown and rainbow trout for 4 months after exposures to whirling disease in Poindexter Slough and the Ruby River. This was a project of the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks. Principal Investigator: Al Zale. Whirling Disease in Lake Environment After exposing native grayling and cutthroat trout to whirling disease in Red Rock Lake, the fish were held in 32 10-gallon tanks in the main system for approximately 4 months until the disease could mature. Principal Investigator: Cal Kaya. Idaho Stream Infection Cutthroat and rainbow trout were exposed to whirling disease in Teton, Fox, and Ranier Creeks, (Idaho), and held in 12 tanks for 4 months until the disease could produce countable spores. Principal Investigator: Steve Elle, Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Age, Dose and Stress Using up to 182 tanks, fish were exposed to known numbers of tams; some replicates were subjected to de-watering simulation to examine the effects of stress on whirling disease, and fish were run through a "treadmill" to see if whirling disease affected swimming stamina. Principal Investigators: Beth McConnell and Al Zale. 1998-1999 Colorado River Rainbow Genealogy Recent experiments in the Colorado River indicate that wild rainbow offspring from parents that survived exposures to the whirling disease parasite developed fewer myxospores than fish obtained from "run-of-the-river" spawners. This phenomenon may be a sign of a developing resistance to the disease. New tests will compare the susceptibility of two groups of wild rainbow trout offspring to varying levels of exposure. The Lab counterpart of the above study tested the levels of resistance or infectivity of rainbow trout from different parent lines from the Colorado River, but under controlled conditions over a range of parasite dosages. It also compared the stamina of the fish before and after exposure. Principal Investigators: Barry Nehring and Al Zale. Fumagillin Experiment Stocking whirling disease-infected fish from hatcheries greatly exacerbates the problem, particularly in Colorado where stocking is the common management practice. This experiment evaluated the efficacy of fumagillin as a drug that may reduce spore numbers and change spore morphology such that trout in hatchery settings will be sufficiently whirling-disease free. This would be of substantial benefit to fisheries programs dependent on stock supplementation. Principal Investigators: Dave Erdahl, Crystal Hudson, C.A. Speer. Whitefish Susceptibility The mountain whitefish is found throughout the Intermountain West and is abundant in all major coldwater streams in Montana. Yet the role of the whitefish in whirling disease-infected river basins is unknown. This study involved comparative testing of the susceptibility of mountain whitefish and rainbow trout to whirling disease. Principal Investigators: McConnell and Zale. 1999-2000 Clinical Signs of Whirling Disease The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit conducted an assessment of the effects of spawning site selection by snake river cutthroat trout on their exposure to Myxobolus cerebralis triactinomyxons and the clinical signs of whirling disease in spring streams among age-0 fish in the Salt River Valley, Wyoming. Principal Investigator: Wayne Hubert. Acquired Immunity This study undertook comparative testing of the immune response after exposure to different whirling disease doses and subsequent re-exposure in varying doses. The goal was to try to understand if there is any acquired immunity to whirling disease in fish previously exposed to the disease. The project used a maximum of 122 tanks over a period of about 5 months. Principal Investigators: Eileen Ryce, McConnell and Zale. Production of Whirling Disease Spores Dr. Billie Kerans held 3 tanks of fish in order to have a reliable source of Myxobolus cerebralis spores to be used in her Tubifex tubifex exposures. 2000-2001 Fumagillin II Experiment This study evaluated the efficacy of the drug, fumagillin, to control whirling disease in cultured rainbow trout. The goal is to see if this drug could be used in hatcheries to disable viable whirling disease spores in valuable hatchery fish. If the drug works whirling disease positive hatcheries could stock their fish without the worry of increasing whirling disease in the drainage to be stocked. This study used 35 tanks for about 5 months. Principal Investigator: Dave Erdahl. Production of Whirling Disease Spores Dr. Billie Kerans held 6 tanks of fish in the Wild Trout Research lab in order to have a reliable source of Myxobolus cerebralis spores to be used in her Tubifex tubifex exposures. Non-lethal Detection The objective of this project was to develop a nonlethal technique for determining the presence of whirling disease in fish. It involved exposing fish to different levels of infection, collecting samples by operculum punch biopsy methods, analyzing the tissue by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) procedure to confirm the adequacy of the biopsy, and observing the fish for post-sampling complications. Principal Investigator: Linda Vannest. Spring Creek Experiment This study looks at the effect of whirling disease on fish which live in spring creeks in Montana. The spring creek project, which came to the Wild Trout Research Lab in April of 2000, has used up to 56 tanks and will continue into 2001. Principal Investigator: Tom McMahon. Emergency Fish Holding In June of 2000, the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks transferred 20 tanks of fish to the Wild Trout Research Laboratory from the FWP lab at Pony which had experienced some space and fungus problems. The Wild Trout Lab provided much needed emergency fish holding space during the summer. Age vs Size Experiment This project entails comparative testing of same-age but different-size rainbow trout exposed to M. cerebralis under standardized laboratory conditions. The investigators will also determine the rate of ossification in fish of different ages and different growth rates. Principal Investigator: Ryce and Zale. 2001-2002 Spore Viability Experiment Billie Kerans and Beth MacConnell set up this project to determine if whirling disease spore viability is affected by spore maturation. They used spores at differing stages of maturity to infect Tubifex worms to see if spore age and maturity are important for spore viability. Yellowstone Project In July of this year the Wild Trout Lab began receiving fish from Yellowstone National Park. Todd Koel with the Park Service is putting out sentinel cages to study whirling disease in tributaries to Yellowstone Lake. This project begins July 23rd and runs through 2002. The project should use approximately 45 tanks in the Lab. Non-Lethal Detection Beth MacConnell and Molly Quinn will be looking for a non-lethal method for determining if fish are infected with whirling disease. They plan to take fin clips from infected fish in the Lab and examining them with PCR. PCR should tell the researchers if the disease is present. If this method is successful, managers will no longer need to kill fish to look for whirling disease. Spring Creek II This is the second year of the Spring Creek project conducted by researchers Ryan Anderson and Tom McMahon. This study looks at the effect of whirling disease on young fish in spring creeks in Montana. This year the project will use approximately 80 tanks in the Lab and runs from March of 2001 to around December of 2001. Cutthroat Telemetry This project is the first non-whirling disease project to come to the Lab. Al Zale, Cal Fraser and Carrie Brooke are examining the effects of surgically-implanted dummy radio transmitters on fish swimming ability. This project required a refit of the Lab to accommodate 8-12 inch cutthroat trout. The fish were implanted with different weights of transmitters and then tested in a fish stamina tunnel to determine if transmitter weight affects swimming performance. 2002-2003 Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Fish Holding In June of 2003, the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks transferred 70 tanks of fish to the Wild Trout Research Laboratory from the FWP lab at Pony which had experienced some space limitations. The Wild Trout Lab provided much needed fish holding space during the summer. Yellowstone Project In July of this year the Wild Trout Lab began receiving fish from Yellowstone National Park. Sylvia Murcia, an MSU graduate student, is putting out sentinel cages to study whirling disease in tributaries to Yellowstone Lake. This project began in July and runs through 2004. The project should use approximately 98 tanks in the Lab. 2003-2004 Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Resistant Trout Holding Dick Vincent with FWP will be holding 40 "wounded man" rainbows at the Wild Trout Lab for approximately 36 months to create a brood stock for this particular strain. It is hoped that this fish will show a greater immunity to WD and can be used where appropriate. Yellowstone Project In July of this year the Wild Trout Lab began receiving fish from Yellowstone National Park. Sylvia Murcia, an MSU graduate student, is putting out sentinel cages to study whirling disease in tributaries to Yellowstone Lake. This project began in July and runs through 2005. The project should use approximately 45 tanks in the Lab. Production of Whirling Disease Spores Cal Fraser held 40 WD exposed fish in the Wild Trout Research lab in order to have a reliable source of spores to be used by any researcher needing them. This project will continue into 2005 with a new set of 100 fish. These fish will be exposed to WD for future use. Quantitative PCR for Whirling Disease Testing In February of this year Crystal Hudson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Health Center will be bringing fish to the lab. She will be trying to develop a PCR test to ascertain disease severity in WD positive fish. Historically PCR has been used as a yes/no test for WD. If she is successful the test will be invaluable to biologists concerned about WD in their streams. 2004-2005 Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Fish Holding In June of 2004, the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks transferred approximately 90 tanks of fish to the Wild Trout Research Laboratory from the FWP lab at Pony which had experienced some space limitations. The Wild Trout Lab provided much needed fish holding space during the summer. Yellowstone Project In July 2004, the Wild Trout Lab received fish from Yellowstone National Park. Silvia Murcia, an MSU graduate student, put out sentinel cages to study whirling disease in tributaries to Yellowstone Lake. This project began in July of 2002 and runs into 2005. The project used approximately 10 tanks in the Lab. Production of Whirling Disease Spores 100 whirling-disease-exposed fish were held in the Wild Trout Research Lab in order to have a reliable source of spores for any researcher needing them. This small-scale spore production is an ongoing use of lab space. |
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