On-going Major Research Projects:

6. The effects of farm-origin pathogens on the genetic composition of wild Salmonid populations

Pathogens from farmed Atlantic salmon, such as the sea louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the bacterium, Aeromonas salmonicola (causative agent of furunculosis), and the viral pathogen, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), can readily infect wild salmon populations. Susceptibility to sea louse infection, and resistance and susceptibility to both IHNV and furunculosis, have been linked to alleles at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Thus, pathogen-induced mortality in host populations may drive selection for resistance genes in exposed wild salmon populations relative to unexposed populations. In addition, exposed wild salmon populations may have lower overall genetic diversity than control populations, due to population declines. We are comparing allele frequencies at selected MHC loci and microsatellite loci between exposed populations of Pink Salmon in the Broughton Archipelago to control populations in BC. This will measure possible effects of farm-origin pathogens on the genetic composition of wild salmon populations.