Grant: Engage Grants Program

Healthy and productive waterways are important to all Canadians, and shellfish aquaculture supports coastalcommunities throughout British Columbia (BC) and Eastern Canada. Large-scale mortalities of market sizePacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) have been occurring in recent years in Baynes Sound in BC, and haveresulted in huge financial losses for shellfish operations. The degree of impact has been dependent upon thestock origin of the juvenile oysters, although causality has not been assigned, but may include multiple abioticand biotic factors such as pathogens, oyster genetics and physiology, temperature, and environmental andfarming practices. We propose sampling different originating stocks of Pacific oysters from Baynes Sound, andanalyzing shellfish tissues for histology, molecular disease diagnosis and gene expression analysis in line withenvironmental monitoring to determine causal agents and stock susceptibilities for mortality. Samples will betaken before onset, during and after mortality events and priority processed. This combined robust approachwill determine: 1) the root cause of mortality (through histology and molecular diagnoses); 2) what are theenvironmental drivers linked to outbreaks (through monitoring); and 3) what influence does stock origin havein susceptibilities (through gene expression)? Results of this project will facilitate industry stabilizationthrough providing mitigation strategies and in general will provide information on the health status of oystersin Baynes Sound.