Location: Pacific Shellfish Research Unit
Project Number: 2076-63000-005-027-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Oct 31, 2025
Objective:
1. Evaluate the response of Pacific Oysters produced by the ARS Pacific Shellfish Research Unit to exposure of OsHV-1 in multiple environments.
Approach:
Expose all families to an OsHV-1 microvariant isolated from San Diego Bay (OsHV-1 SD) in controlled laboratory conditions. A common garden design will be used where all families are mixed within each replicate. Genetic parentage analysis or other sequencing analysis will be used to assess performance of individuals and families. Animals will be challenged with OsHV-1 µvar from donor animals or used as control (no challenge) in four replicates.
Field experiments to compare juvenile oyster survival and growth will be continued at sentinel sites in USWC estuaries including Tomales Bay, CA where the original OsHV-1 strain is present, San Diego Harbor, CA where OsHV-1 (SD) microvariant is present and several estuaries where no OsHV-1 has been reported including Tillamook Bay, OR and Willapa Bay and Totten Inlet, WA.
