Effect of temperature on survival of Lost River Suckers with a natural infection of Ichthyobodo spp.

North American Journal of Aquaculture
By: , and 

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Abstract

To compensate for low natural survival of endangered Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Klamath Tribes have initiated captive rearing programs. We conducted laboratory experiments intended to determine the temperature for optimum growth of juvenile Lost River Suckers; however, due to an unanticipated infection with Ichthyobodo spp., we instead estimated survival in conjunction with temperature and parasite loads. Ichthyobodo spp. are common parasites that infest fish skin and gills; they are known to be present in Upper Klamath Lake and have been found in fish at both the federal and tribal fish-rearing facilities. All fish held at mean temperatures of 16°C and 19°C survived the entire 65-d experiment, whereas the median time to death was 27 d at 22°C, 8 d at 24°C, and 7 d at 26°C. Gill samples from all Lost River Suckers tested positive for Ichthyobodo spp. DNA, with a trend toward higher copy numbers in suckers that were held at a mean temperature of 22°C or warmer compared to those held at 19°C or cooler. Fish kept at all temperatures grew slowly. These results suggest that survival of Lost River Suckers with a natural infection of Ichthyobodo spp. was significantly impacted by temperature.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Effect of temperature on survival of Lost River Suckers with a natural infection of Ichthyobodo spp.
Series title North American Journal of Aquaculture
DOI 10.1002/naaq.10186
Volume 83
Issue 3
Year Published 2021
Language English
Publisher American Fisheries Society
Contributing office(s) Western Fisheries Research Center
Description 8 p.
First page 184
Last page 191
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