There is a disturbing pattern of diseases in commercial molluscs nationally. They have required a succession of government/industry responses, with no clear solutions:QX disease, Sydney rock oysters, NSW and QLD; NSW; Pacific oyster mortality syndrome, NSW; Abalone viral ganglioneuritis, VIC; Oyster oedema disease, pearl oysters, WA; Winter mortality, Sydney rock oyster, NSW.
Economic impacts have been substantial or devastating. Wild fisheries and aquaculture have been impacted. In NSW, the primary impact of QX disease led to replacement of Sydney rock oysters by triploid Pacific oysters to reestablish the industry in some estuaries, but this is now threatened by POMS.
In every case the new disease has spread. It has not been possible to devise an intervention strategy that would halt disease spread or ensure the recovery of the industry. Investigating the behaviour of POMS during its recrudescence in summer 2011/2012 in FRDC project 2011-053 afforded a unique insight into the disease, and these observations need to be extended over time to identify factors which may be used to reduce the impact of the infection.
This project seeks to address 6 specific research priorities identified by FRDC and will concurrently investigate the effect of host, environment and husbandry factors on POMS prevalence and mortality rate in Pacific oysters with the objective of discovering aspects of epidemiology which can be manipulated by oyster growers. If POMS spreads beyond its current limited distribution in NSW, commercial scale production of Pacific oysters in the face of POMS will be essential for the viability of the industry pending development of technical solutions such as genetically resistant lines.
FRDC strategic R&D theme 1 - biosecurity and aquatic animal health, and Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram priority - Nature of disease and host-pathogen interaction - immunology of aquatic invertebrates.
