Whirling Disease Initiative

Newsletter	January 31, 2005

Contents:

The Whirling Disease Initiative: Program Background and Activities

Whirling Disease Background Over the past decade, the microscopic parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, which causes whirling disease in many salmonid fish species, has spread and infected hundreds of river and stream reaches throughout the United States. The impacts of this parasite on susceptible trout can be dramatic: darkening of the tail, skeletal deformities, frenzied tail chasing (thus the name “whirling” disease), and death. The whirling disease parasite is extremely hardy and long-lived. Like the malaria parasite, it infects two very different hosts alternately. In the case of whirling disease, the life cycle employs a fish host and an aquatic worm host (Tubifex tubifex); and therefore, reaching an understanding of the parasite has required defining the biology of infected fish, infected worms, parasite spores and the “TAM” life stage.

A Eurasian native, M. cerebralis made its way to North America in the 1950s. It was once believed to be relatively harmless to wild fish, but research in the mid-1990s found that it was decimating rainbow trout populations in some of the Rocky Mountain region’s finest river fisheries. Most salmonids have been found to be susceptible. Whirling disease is therefore a major threat both to biological diversity and to the Nation’s multi-million-dollar fishing and tourism economy. The whirling disease parasite has been reported in 23 states—from New York to California—and has generated great concern among anglers, scientists, and fisheries managers.

The Whirling Disease Initiative The Whirling Disease Initiative was established by Act of Congress in 1997. Its purpose is to conduct research that develops practical management solutions to maintain viable, self-sustaining wild trout fisheries in the presence of the whirling disease parasite. The Initiative’s ultimate clients are state, tribal, and federal fisheries-management agencies, and the constituencies they serve.

General oversight of the Initiative is provided by the National Partnership for the Management of Wild and Native Coldwater Fisheries. The National Partnership is a consortium of organizations concerned with the status of wild and native fisheries in the United States—Federal and state agencies, professional associations, and private advocacy organizations. The overall goal of the Partnership is to move biological research and management trials forward to make available to fishery managers practical options for controlling the disease. The National Partnership provides long-term direction to the Whirling Disease Initiative. To do this, the Partnership’s Board of Representatives convenes annually for a detailed briefing by whirling disease researchers, and participates in discussions concerning fisheries health and research needs.

The Research Process In-depth scientific direction is given to the Whirling Disease Initiative by its Steering Committee. The committee is made up of representatives from state fish and wildlife agencies, Federal natural resource agencies, and the Whirling Disease Foundation. Working in collaboration with Montana Water Center staff, the Steering Committee prepares an annual research plan, issues Requests for Proposals based on its topical priorities, selects and approves projects for funding following scientific peer review, and distributes the research results within the scientific and fishery management communities and to other stakeholders. The Montana Water Center is the administrative entity that manages the program and coordinates outreach and educational activities.

Each year, Federal funding earmarked in the Interior Appropriations Bill comes to the Initiative through the Division of the National Fish Hatchery System, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Projects are chosen for funding by the Steering Committee. During the Initiative’s seven-year history, the Steering Committee has chosen to support a variety of projects, ranging from basic biological research to applied research directly testing potential management solutions. Early projects were principally aimed at explicating the biology of whirling disease. In 2000, the Steering Committee began deliberately shifting the Initiative priority toward field research more closely tied to possible management strategies. This “applied” focus has become ever stronger, with the encouragement of large-scale field projects addressing the ecology of whirling disease and the testing of potential methods for controlling its effects or spread.

The Initiative has sponsored from nine to 20 research projects in each cycle. A research cycle generally runs from May of one year through December of the following year, allowing for two research field seasons. More than 100 research projects have been carried out by university, public-agency scientists, and private firms since 1997. A total of more than $8 million of Federal and matching funds has been expended or committed by these projects. Typically two to four investigators are involved in each project, and they bring to the project cash or in-kind match of 25 to 150 percent of the amount of the Federal grant. Students are involved in most projects, either as technicians or, more often, as graduate research assistants.

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The Larger Perspective by Gretchen Rupp

Whirling disease has been called ‘the malaria of trout’ - with good reason. Like malaria, this disease has a complicated life cycle that exploits both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. When the Whirling Disease Initiative came into being, only the outlines of this life cycle were understood. Consequently early research focused on basic biology and parasitology. How do the TAMs get into fish? (TAMs, Triactinomyxons, are the transformed spore released by the tubifex worms; this is what attaches to the fish ultimately infecting it.) How do they disable them? How many TAMs does it take to infect a trout? Diagnostic questions were also crucial in the early years. How can you judge the severity of an infection? How can TAMs be identified and quantified in a stream?

Within a few years investigators began to test the many factors that influence whether an infection will reach a particular stream, become established there, and cause harm to the resident trout populations. At this stage the questions targeted environmental factors like water temperature, flow, and stream gradient. They also concerned immunology, for both fish and tubifex worms. The search for rapid, inexpensive, field-portable diagnostic techniques was urgent.

The Initiative is now in the third of its three phases. This phase concentrates on predicting the effects of whirling disease, and testing approaches to controlling those effects. Can an artificial flushing flow ameliorate a severe infection in a stream? Do stream-restoration projects that eradicate worm habitat have measurable effects on infection rate? How vulnerable is the rainbow trout population in a particular stream? As well, this phase concentrates on conveying research and testing results to those who need them most—fishery managers.

Whirling disease is a complex affliction that is readily transported among watersheds and influenced by many factors. We can never hope to eradicate it. We do hope, though, to develop the best control tools possible, and convey them to the professionals who are charged with maintaining our fisheries for environmental integrity and public enjoyment.

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A Newcomer Learns About Whirling Disease... by Amy Rose

As the new outreach coordinator for the Whirling Disease Initiative I’ve formally been in my position since the middle of August 2004. My background is in communications and training. I spent six-and-a-half years in the United States Air Force creating technical publications, managing communications, and developing and implementing training programs. In this new position, one of my first job priorities was to educate myself about whirling disease. I spent a significant amount of time familiarizing myself with the most important items concerning the disease. I’ve also received an education in the research, oversight, and passions of the people most concerned. Now, six months into it, I feel intimately involved with the people and issues surrounding whirling disease research, control and management, and the challenges faced by fishery managers. With this background, I proceeded to design an outreach program for whirling disease.
In September 2004, I presented my projections for our first outreach year and introduced myself to the Board and Steering Committee members. My projections include developing products such as this newsletter, presenting tools for management of the disease, and most importantly getting out and talking to fishery managers. I want to get the word out about what’s going on with whirling disease and pertinent research findings to the folks who need it most. I am coming to understand how overwhelmed fishery managers can be in trying to juggle a multitude of priorities. I hope the information I present to them will help ease some of the burden of trying to keep themselves informed.

The primary target audience for outreach products is technical professionals—fishery managers and administrators, hatchery operators and fish health professionals, researchers and agency land managers. The secondary audience comprises fishery professionals, both within the agencies and in private organizations such as the Whirling Disease Foundation, Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishermen. In addition, we also hope to serve and educate anglers and the general public with the information provided by the outreach program.

I have lots of products in the works as well as a full schedule of presentations. I will start traveling and presenting on whirling disease in February 2005. Please keep your eyes open for upcoming program announcements, contact me with any questions or presentation requests, and check the web site frequently for updates on outreach products and pertinent conferences where I will be presenting.

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The Power of Teamwork by Dave Kumlien

In December of 1994, newspaper headlines announced that whirling disease was believed to be responsible for a drastic decline in Montana’s Madison River rainbow trout population. Even though the whirling disease parasite had been established in the Continental United States for some time, the problems with the Madison’s wild rainbow trout population focused national attention on whirling disease. As Dr. Karl Johnson, one of the founding directors of the Whirling Disease Foundation, said, “The vandals have entered the cathedral.”

Partnerships are powerful. The famous British statesman Winston Churchill once said, “If we are together, nothing is impossible. If we are divided, all will fail.” While the progress made in whirling disease research over the past decade is quite remarkable, it would not have happened without the alliance between the federal government, the states, educational institutions and the private sector. One of the most significant products of this collaboration is the Whirling Disease Symposium (WDS). The WDS has become a determining event in the research process bringing together whirling disease researchers from the U.S. and around the world to present the latest research findings, identify critical needs, and develop research plans. With the support of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Montana University system Water Center, numerous state fish and game agencies, conservation organizations like Trout Unlimited, and many private sector businesses, the Whirling Disease Foundation has organized and co-hosted this important science meeting. At the first science meeting in May of 1995, 40 scientists and researchers were invited to Bozeman, Montana for the purpose of discussing the problem and developing a basic research plan. Each year, the meeting has grown, and as many as 200 scientists and researchers have attended the meeting and heard upwards of 60 research presentations. The 2005 meeting, the 11th such event, will be held at Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel on February 3rd and 4th.

While there has been no discovery of a silver bullet to end the whirling disease threat, several promising management options are being studied and developed. It is quite likely that any solution to whirling disease will be similar to an artist creating a painting. Like an oil painter, fisheries managers will likely use a palate of tools to address each individual river and stream, and unfortunately, not every “picture” will be a classic work of art. The Whirling Disease Foundation recognizes the importance of the annual symposium in creating this management tool palate and wishes to thank all symposium supporters for their generous assistance. We look forward to seeing you in Denver!

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Showcase Student—Leyla Arsan

Leyla Arsan was born and raised in Southeast Asia, spending most of that time in Hong Kong. She came to the United States at the age of 14 for secondary studies and she has been here ever since. Leyla did her undergraduate studies at Prescott College in Arizona, where she double majored in environmental studies and adventure education. She was able to take advantage of a rare opportunity and complete her field research at the college’s field research station in Bahia Kino, Sonora, Mexico. Her focus was inter-tidal ecology. After completing her undergraduate degree, Leyla spent several years as a raft guide, Outward Bound instructor, and natural history guide in Alaska. Last year she decided to return to school and further her education in fisheries science.
Leyla is completing a Master of Science degree at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Her concentration is fish health with a specific research focus on analyzing risk parameters for the introduction of whirling disease. Within that focus, Leyla is looking at two different anadromous systems: the Willamette River in Oregon and the state of Alaska.

When asked to describe the goals of risk analysis Leyla said, “This risk analysis will help managers identify means to prevent the introduction of whirling disease into non-endemic areas and to reduce its effects in areas where the parasite already exists. It will also draw attention to areas of special risk or importance. My grand hopes are that this will help to stop the spread of whirling disease and in turn preserve and bolster our wild trout populations.

Risk analysis lays out a way of thinking about disease introduction and pathogen tracking. It sets a framework that allows managers and researchers to more easily explore avenues in disease introduction and establishment. It clearly identifies areas with data gaps and hence, areas of potential research. It brings to focus topics that perhaps have had very little attention in the past or inconclusive evidence from prior research.”

Right now Leyla is focusing on release assessment and exposure assessment. Release assessment studies the risk of introduction of Myxobolus cerebralis into a particular environment. Exposure assessment determines the potential of the pathogen life cycle becoming established. Her assessment results should vary between her two study areas (Oregon and Alaska). She explains the two different focuses in this way, “Overall, the release assessment will focus on the potential for introduction as a result of a variety of factors: movements of fish by human activities, natural fish migration and straying, and potential effects of angler activity. The exposure assessment will focus on the likelihood that the parasite could become established by evaluating tubifex populations (numbers and susceptibility), extent of worm habitat, and temperature ranges.”

Although she is excited and her research has been productive thus far, Leyla does face some challenges, mostly in the form of data gaps. Due to Alaska’s massive size and remoteness in comparison to Oregon, accessibility to data has been difficult. Information that is readily available for rivers in Oregon is often not available for Alaskan rivers. However, the Willamette River poses its own obstacles in determining where stray anadromous salmon originate.

Details of Leyla’s Research and Methodology. The parasite has not been found in Alaska and routes of introduction are suspected to be limited. Additionally, information is limited regarding the potential for parasite establishment if it were introduced. One method being used to determine Alaskan-area factors is sorting through Alaskan sediment to identify oligochaete worms, the intermediate host of whirling disease. Despite the challenges faced in Alaska, Leyla and her co-researchers are excited about the fact that this is the first study to look at Tubifex tubifex lineages in this region.
In contrast, there are numerous potential introduction routes throughout the Columbia River Basin in Oregon and Washington (straying and migration of anadromous fish from endemic areas, angler activity, and transfers of infected fish between private ponds), although environmental conditions and the absence of tubificid hosts may limit the parasite’s establishment in certain tributaries.

Research Concentration. There are many factors that are analyzed in a risk assessment. Some research requires information gathering from databases. Other research is gleaned from studies done by other scientists. Here are a few examples of Leyla’s current research concentrations:

Alaska. Factors considered in a release assessment:
Potentials for Alaskan fish straying into endemic areas on their migration are low. Straying of a Columbia River Basin salmon into the Copper River in southcentral Alaska has been recorded (Ron Josephson, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, personal communication), but the frequency of long-distance straying is unknown. This is studied through database research, and personal communication with professionals in the field. If data is inconclusive this indicates an information gap and an area for future research concentration.

Columbia River Basin fish are commonly harvested commercially in salt-water commercial harvests in southeastern Alaska. Disposal of carcasses and effluent from these harvests is being investigated to ascertain if this offers a pathway for introduction. This is done through database research, and personal communication with professionals in the field.

Factors considered in an exposure assessment:
Significant tubifex populations were found in hatchery sediments from the Cook Inlet Basin. It is not yet known where tubifex and susceptible fish hosts overlap in the wild in Alaska. This is studied by collecting and holding worm samples from Alaska for morphological identification and determination of species abundance.

Initial worm lineage studies show existence of lineage IV, never before described in North America. Leyla is examining the susceptibility of this tubifex lineage to Myxobolus cerebralis. Lineages are determined by a PCR-based technique (polymerase chain reaction) developed by Beauchamp et al. (2002). The sample site with the highest percentage of lineage IV is used for a laboratory exposure experiment to see if this lineage of worm is susceptible to Myxobolus cerebralis and would propagate the parasite.

Data is being analyzed to establish if temperatures are seasonally permissive for parasite growth and survival. Hydrological data from the past 10 to 20 years is being examined.

Willamette River, Oregon. Migration and straying considered in a release assessment:
Significant numbers of stray salmon were found in the Willamette River during 2004. Stray rates are far higher than would be predicted from database queries, leading to the conclusion that handlers at fish traps are not recognizing stray fish. Data being gathered from these fishes include their system, hatchery of origin, and possible infection with Myxobolus cerebralis.

Fish trap handlers are told exactly what markings to look for and to set aside any fish with unusual markings. These fin clip markings are ideally paired with a hatchery of origin through database research. These fish are also assayed for Myxobolus cerebralis by pepsin-trypsin digest and then re-tested by PCR.

Look for Leyla Arsan at the upcoming Whirling Disease Symposium in Denver, February 3 and 4, 2005. She will be presenting a poster on whirling disease risk analysis. 

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Improving Whirling Disease Communications, What Can We Do Better? by Bob Wiltshire

Communicating - we all do it, all day, every day. Communicating is fundamental to our existence, yet most of us rarely think about how to improve it. This is unfortunate because, like any other endeavor, we can easily improve our ability to communicate by applying proven techniques to achieve better results.

Communications are integral to our economy. Marketing and advertising campaigns, the media and entertainment industries, and our education system are all based on communication. As such a critical part of our lives, it should be no surprise that the process of communicating has been researched for many years. Through the use of experimentation, observation, and evaluation, social scientists have identified the elements of a successful communications effort.

How can we use this information to help us do a better job of communicating about whirling disease? Identifying and understanding the audience and crafting the message are concepts that the whirling disease community must address to be successful. Until we can very simply describe what the message is, who the message is for, and why the audience will care, we cannot succeed.

When whirling disease first appeared there was a simple message, “This disease has the potential to severely impact the populations of wild salmonids.” This was easy to communicate, and we found a receptive audience. Resource managers, the public, and politicians all responded. Human and financial resources were quickly marshaled, and there was tremendous interest in the efforts of researchers. Unfortunately, attention waned, and the relevant message was lost. As a result, few people have the intense interest that was so evident just a few years ago.

Due to the current decline in interest, the whirling disease community (specifically the Whirling Disease Initiative and the Whirling Disease Foundation) has come together and asked for more, and for better communication on the topic. While I agree that we need more communication, it is far more important that we have better communication. Before developing a communication plan for whirling disease, I believe the following questions should be answered: Who needs to know more about whirling disease? What should they know? Why should they know it? Until there are precise answers to these questions, we cannot hope to craft an effective communications strategy.
Who? What? Why?—These are the keys. Each is important and each will be shaped by the other. Unfortunately, I believe these critical elements have not been given serious attention. We cannot hope that our communications will reach an interested audience until we address these basic questions.

As I watched the presidential debates this past fall, I was impressed by how easily a candidate was able to turn a pointed question on one topic into a detailed answer about a totally different subject. We often hear political pundits talk about the need for candidates to stay “on message” and this was a perfect example of how they did so. They knew exactly who they were trying to reach and exactly what they wanted to tell them. Working from this base of certainty, they had no difficulty in conveying their message.

The whirling disease community must take this approach. We must know exactly what we want to communicate, and it must be relevant. Our message has to contain more than scientific research findings and information on research in progress. Specifics on whirling disease research often fails to engage and keep the interest of the target audiences. A quick look at the different audiences will tell us why.

Fishery managers, for the most part, often do not have a keen interest unless the research is giving them specific information that allows them to manage better. If the only thing we can tell them is that we are doing research that might someday yield management solutions, they will tell us to come back when we have those solutions.
Anglers have disengaged from the topic because we have failed to make it personal to them. What anglers want to know most is how it impacts them. The things anglers want to know are: how to stop transmission, how this is protecting fish from infection, and how this changes their angling experience. Unless we can show a direct connection to anglers and their activities, they will not be interested.

Additionally, folks at the administrative and policy-making level need to know how they can respond to improve the situation. Often the gap between scientists and decision makers is cause for inadequate and faulty policies. Unless our message to the policy makers contains relevant information about decisions that need to be made, it is of little interest to them. A purely research-based message is often too cumbersome and complex for administrators. Instead, they need concise and understandable points on the topic of whirling disease in order to maintain interest and give them something useful that can be used in the decision-making process.

Let me offer this formula for developing a more effective message. Start from what you want to achieve. Then, identify the audience that needs to be reached. Finally, determine why they will want to know about your message. If you start this way and have definite targets for each of these points, they will naturally lead to your message. A message that is developed in this fashion will be very easy to communicate and will be much more likely to capture the interest of the target audience.

Effective communication about whirling disease can be achieved. However, this will not happen unless we give communications the same degree of planning, development, and implementation that our research projects receive. We must know what we want to achieve, who our audience is, and why the audience will care. Once we have this information, we can craft communication strategies that achieve positive results.

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Contributors
	Gretchen Rupp Gretchen has been the director of the Montana Water Center for four years. She has served the Whirling Disease Initiative in that time offering her knowledge and professional expertise in the oversight of whirling disease research and program administration.
	Amy Rose Amy is a newcomer to whirling disease—she started working for the Whirling Disease Initiative in August 2004. She is the outreach coordinator for the new Outreach Program.
	Dave Kumlien Dave Kumlien is the Executive Director of the Whirling Disease Foundation located in Bozeman, Montana. He’s been the director for three-and-a-half-years now. Dave was also the recipient of the Outdoor Life Conservationist of the Year award in October 2001. He was honored for his work and the work of the Whirling Disease Foundation.
	Bob Wiltshire Bob has been intimately involved with the welfare and recreational enjoyment aspect of salmonids in Montana for many years. In addition to his ten year executive directorship of the Fly Fishers Federation located in Livingston, Montana, he was also a member of the Montana Governor’s Whirling Disease Task Force.
Editors
	Amy Rose, Editor
	Liz Galli-Noble, Editor
	Sue Higgins, Editor
	Molly Boucher, Designer

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