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R/DIS-4
Assessing the Risk of Interstate Imports, Aquaculture and Stress to Amplify Virus Diversity and Prevalence in Maryland Blue Crabs
Principal Investigator:
Eric SchottStart/End Year:
2022 - 2024Institution:
Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University System of MarylandCo-Principal Investigator:
Tsvetan Bachvaroff, Institute of Marine & Env. Tech., UMCES; Mingli Zhao, Institute of Marine & Env. Tech., University of Maryland Baltimore CountyTopic(s):
Strategic focus area:
Sustainable fisheries and aquacultureDescription:
Rationale: Blue crab harvests and populations are highly variable in Maryland. Viral disease is a possible cause of blue crab mortalities, but little is known about viruses in crabs. Interstate transport of blue crabs may introduce new viruses into the bay.
- Objective 1. Identify new viruses in blue crab with metagenomic sequencing: a. viruses in Chesapeake Bay blue crabs that die in soft-shell production; b. viruses in imported blue crabs that die during transportation.
- Objective 2. Investigate the prevalence of viruses in blue crab populations. a. Conduct a complete survey to investigate the prevalence of known and newly identified virus in Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. b. Conduct a survey to quantify these virus prevalence and intensity in blue crabs that are being imported into the Chesapeake Bay from states in the Gulf of Mexico or Florida Atlantic coast.
- Objective 3. Test the pathogenicity of newly identified viruses
- Objective 4. Outreach to managers, scientists, and industry participants:
- Communicate with scientists and industry at a national conference;
- Communicate with blue crab modelers and managers;
- Communicate with fishermen about safe methods of discarding dead crabs.
Methods: Metagenomics of both RNA and DNA will be used to discover virus genomes in collected crabs. PCR-based tools verify and investigate prevalence. Experimental injections will assess pathogenicity of viruses.
Value to constituents: Managers need to understand causes of crab mortality. Biosecurity in transport and aquaculture is not being addressed by managers.
Outreach: The outreach plan is intended to reach managers and industry practitioners using two main strategies: 1) Presentation to the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee and other management bodies.
2) Organize a session for the National Shellfisheries Association meeting on biosecurity of crab transportation and discards. 3) Work with Louisiana Sea Grant on printed outreach to discourage in-water discards."
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Featured Fellow
Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
