Date : 09 December 1998
From : Bgmannin@aol.com
To: AQUA-L@killick.ifmt.nf.ca
QUESTION:
I am thinking of setting up a copepod culture for feeding to marine fish larvae, however I am not at all sure how "clean" the resulting copepods (if any!) would be.
Does anybody know what the disease status of cultured copepods is? If you take in wild copepods they are likely to be hosts for all kinds of parasites, bugs & viruses, so how long do you have to keep them before they are rid of these? Has anybody assessed the status of cultured copepods and is there likely to be a difference between harpacticoids and calanoid copepods?
Brendan Gara
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COMMENTS 1:
Suggest you try Friday Harbor Laboratory, University of Washington, San Juan Island Washington, USA. Monospecific Acartia tonsa copepod cultures from nearby "Jakes' Lagoon" are kept there from time to time as I recall. Also, try the Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, University of Texas, USA. There was a copepod specialist there at one time. Might try Dr. Bob Conover at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Ted Ground <ground@thrifty.net>
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COMMENTS 2:
In feeding wild zooplankton to larval halibut, one of our local halibut research groups experienced problems with sea lice infestations. The cyclopod copepod that we have been culturing since last June may not be free of all pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but at least there are no sea lice or larger parasites. We filter all sea water used in their culture down to 1 micron. Before we begin larval feeding trials next spring, our New Brunswick Research and productivity Council will test our cultures for known bacterial pathogens and perhaps for viruses.
You have worked with the Seafish Authority group in Ardtoe, did they not check their cultured copepods for pathogens and possible parasites? Since I am planning to try raising marine fish larvae with cultured copepods, I will be very interested in knowing what answers you receive to your question.
Castell, John D <CastellJ@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca>