[env-trinity] More Information on C. shasta

[Tom Stokely]

 Below are some responses to my request for information on Ceratomyxa shasta.  High temperatures seem to cause the parasite to overcome fish.


phiggins at humboldt1.com wrote:

Hi Tom,

Surfed KRIS web (www.krisweb.com) for C. shasta literature and came up with a couple: 

Scott Foott's paper on the 1995 out migrant mortality: 
Foott, J. S. 1995. Preliminary results of Spring 1995 Klamath River chinook smolt study (95-FP-01), Iron Gate Hatchery June release group. Unpublished memo. US Fish and Wildlife Service. CA-NV Fish Health Center. Anderson, CA. 6 pp. [75kb]** 
is at http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/klamath_usfws_foott_1995_springercshastamemo.pdf.

More recent is: Foott J.S., R. Harmon, and R. Stone. 2003. FY2002 Investigational Report: Ceratomyxosis resistance in juvenile chinook salmon and steelhead trout from the Klamath River. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California- Nevada Fish Health Center. Anderson, CA. 25 pp. [825kb] 
is at http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/klamath_usfws_foottetal_2003_cerat.pdf.

If you go to the KRIS web home page and type ceratomyxa into the search it pops several others. 

C. shasta has part of its life cycle in marsh areas of the Klamath and can manifest itself in wet years. Studies of Klamath River salmonids indicate all have C. shasta resistance. Attempts to supplant Klamath River steelhead with larger Cowlitz River strain in the 1960's was thwarted immediately by a lack of resistance to C.shasta. Studies of Oregon Klamath Basin wild trout populations found only a small cut-off rainbow trout population in upper Jenny Creek (above Iron Gate) was non-C. shasta resistant. Trinity fish need to be somewhat resistant because they encounter C. shasta in the lower Klamath. 

Fish health depends a great deal on water quality, because disease organisms are omnipresent. When fish become stressed by high temperature, dissolved ammonia, crowding or a combination of water quality problems, then it sets up conditions for epidemics.  And they are not uncommon on the mainstem Klamath in recent years. 

More Later,

Pat Higgins
KRIS Project Field Coordinator
791 Eighth Street, Suite N
Arcata, CA 95521
(707) 822-9428

Don't forget that CD's of Klamath-Trinity KRIS are available by calling Kelly Sheen or Eric Flickwir at the Trinity RCD at (530) 623-6004. 


Charles_Chamberlain at r1.fws.gov wrote:

RE: C Shasta in the Trinity
Adults returning to the Trinity are infected in the Klamath.  But the
parasite is not passed fish-to-fish and C. Shasta has not been detected in
Trinity River juveniles until they enter the Klamath on their way to the
estuary.  It's speculated that Trinity River might not have the
intermediate host, a polychaete worm.
Charlie


ashbaugh at ucdavis.edu wrote: 

Tom,

I also found some references. One of these is the same as one found by Gary Thompson and Steve Towers. The google search turned up over 600 references. These two looked interesting:
http://www.pacificorp.com/File/File19355.pdf
http://www.pacificorp.com/File/File35474.pdf

Lowell

------------------------------------------------------
Lowell L. Ashbaugh
677 Equador Place
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 758-6722
(530) 752-2848 (work)
http://trc.ucdavis.edu/ashbaugh/ 


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