Harbor seals and fish parasites: How two undergrads contributed to major discoveries in cryptic diversity

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Almost 25 years ago, an undergraduate took the SAFS “Aquatic Ecological Research in Alaska (AERA)” summer field class, as part of the Alaska Salmon Program (ASP). Always interested in marine mammals, Donna Hauser, a biology student who ended up double majoring in Biology and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, started a study of the resident harbor seals in Iliamna Lake for her independent research project. Alaska’s largest lake and 7th largest in the US, students from the University of Washington have been conducting research on Iliamna Lake since the early 1960s, and these harbor seals are well-known to people living around the lake, but formal research on the seals was very limited prior to Donna’s work.

Donna Hauser
An Iliamna Lake harbor seal. Research conducted under NOAA scientific research permit 15126-03.

Combined with data collected by a subsequent student in the class, Donna published her findings in the Aquatic Mammals scientific journal in 2008, looking into the summer diet and consumption patterns of Iliamna Lake’s resident harbor seals. Going on to complete her MS and PhD at SAFS on killer whales and belugas, respectively, Donna is now a Research Associate Professor working for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “Interest in these seals increased and after sampling for genetic tissue by Donna and others, a new paper has now been published by Biology Letters”, shared Tom Quinn, SAFS Professor and advisor to Donna for her undergraduate project at SAFS. “The essence of the paper is that these seals, which are easily capable of swimming to and from Bristol Bay and thus integrating with seals there, are highly different from them genetically.”

Peter Westley
FRI crew surveying for seal scats. Research conducted under NOAA scientific research permit 15126-03.

In comparison with other harbor seals, it has been revealed that there is more genetic similarity between harbor seals along their whole Pacific Rim range (e.g., based on samples from California to Japan, including Bristol Bay) than there is between Bristol Bay and Iliamna Lake. “This is a very cool discovery. While geneticists have done the bulk of the work to show how genetically different these seals are from other harbor seals, it was Donna’s opening, back in 2001, that got us thinking about them,” Tom said.

Donna Hauser
Iliamna Lake harbor seals. Research conducted under NOAA scientific research permit 15126-03.

Fast forward to 2012, when another undergraduate, Brian Harmon, headed up to Iliamna Lake for the same AERA class. “Brian’s serendipitous observation of parasites in sculpins initiated a study on the genetic status of the parasites, in comparison to the similar ones commonly seen in 3-spine and 9-spine sticklebacks”, Tom shared. Sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, and are found in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments and consume zooplankton, including copepods which are the source of infection. Sculpins are a primarily benthic species and generally do not appear to consume copepods in these environments, leading researchers to wonder what the mechanism is for widespread infection by the parasites.

“The study was expanded from Iliamna Lake to Lake Aleknagik, another Alaska Salmon Program site, and included parasites from two sculpin species as well as both stickleback species, and involved collaboration with parasitologists and geneticists,” Tom said. “This study, recently published in Parasitology in May 2024, shows that the parasites in the sculpins are highly different from those in the sticklebacks, and probably should be a distinct species”. After obtaining his BS in 2012, Brian completed his MS in Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Nebraska in 2017, and now works in the sustainability space as a Principal Technical Advisor for LMI.

Brian Harmon
Brian Harmon’s observation of parasites in sculpins initiated a study on the genetic status of the parasites, in comparison to the similar ones commonly seen in 3-spine and 9-spine sticklebacks.

The so-called “cryptic diversity” of both these species – Iliamna’s harbor seals and parasites found in fish in Alaska’s lakes – means that although they are superficially similar, their genetics are very different. “I credit the terrific opportunities of the AERA class and the creativity and hard work by these two students for a couple of major discoveries,” Tom said. “I am very proud of both Donna and Brian, for their insights and eagerness to see the projects through, and the wonderful collaborators inside and outside of the University of Washington, without whom these projects would have died on the vine.”

2024 Preview of the Eastern Bering Sea Pollock Stock Assessment

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Join us for the 2024 Preview of the Eastern Bering Sea Pollock Stock Assessment, held live on Wednesday 6 November at 4pm. It will take place on the UW Campus in Room 102 on the first floor of the Fishery Sciences Building (1122 NE Boat Street). 
 
Dr. Jim Ianelli, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) scientist and SAFS affiliate professor, will present the EBS pollock assessment model and the most recent trends in the EBS pollock stock.
 
The event will be followed by a catered reception. We look forward to you joining us!
 
Please share with interested parties. We would also ask you to (nonbinding) RSVP to Chris Anderson (cmand@uw.edu) as per UW event policy.

Download the poster

Bitter crabs…attitude problem or parasitic infection?

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Bitter crab syndrome might sound like an attitude problem, but it’s actually a condition faced by two very valuable fisheries in Alaska: snow crabs and Tanner crabs. So-called for the bitter flavor of crab meat in infected crabs, bitter crab syndrome (BCS) is caused by a parasitic dinoflagellate of the genus Hematodinium and infects a number of crustacean species around the globe.

Aspen Coyle, a SAFS graduate student who is a member of the Roberts Lab, is conducting research which looks more closely at the impact of BCS on Alaska’s snow and Tanner crab fisheries, which have a combined worth of over $44 million. Aspen’s project is examining rates of infection using survey data from specific sub-populations of Southeast Alaska Tanner crab. “From the mid to late 2010s, data from the Bering Sea showed steadily rising rates of bitter crab syndrome. It remains an important area of study as we want to know what factors impact infection and if these are impacted by environmental conditions,” she shared.

Grace Crandall
Hemolymph from an uninfected crab. If it was infected, it would be a milky white.

“In my research, I’ve been measuring all of the physical characteristics of Tanner crabs including carapace, sex, infections, injuries, but also capturing environmental data such as bottom temperature, bottom type silt, latitude, day of the year,” Aspen said. Using generalized linear mixed models, Aspen hopes to try and tease out what factors are associated with the parasite from the genus Hematodinium, which is responsible for BCS.

During experiments designed to simulate changing ocean temperature and the impact of warmer or cooler water temperatures on infection rates, Aspen found that in heatwave episodes, some genes and pathways are differentially expressed in infected crabs. Bitter crab syndrome is a fatal condition, but the timeline between infection and mortality remains uncertain due to the slow-developing rate of infection.

Grace Crandall
Tanner crabs in the NOAA labs in Juneau, Alaska.

Aspen is using a huge amount of Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) survey data from 2005 to 2019 to input into a model, which includes more than 151,000 measurements taken from crabs. “We’ve also found that females are more prone to have visible infections than males,” she said. What exactly does infection in a crab look like? “The legs of healthy snow and Tanner crabs tend to have a pale pink color. As the disease multiplies inside infected crabs, the cells of the parasite get so prevalent that turns their hemolymph – basically their blood – milky and white. This gives the crab a pale, bleached appearance,” Aspen added. 

The sex-specific differences between males and females is an interesting insight into bitter crab syndrome. “While females were more prone to having visible infections than males overall, females that were producing more eggs had lower rates of infection,” Aspen said. “The amount of healthy, egg-producing females is critical to the health of these fisheries. And so having deeper insight into the impact of bitter crab syndrome on female populations, and how females may be more resistant or react to BCS differently, is critical information for fishery managers.”

How does the parasite move around crustacean populations? “It hasn’t been confirmed without a doubt, but a consensus is forming that it is waterborne, directly infecting one crab and then moving on to the next,” Aspen shared. “A pattern observed in my model, which matches previous studies, has been that the older the crab shell, the less likely the chance of infection.” Tanner crabs have a terminal molt, which means they stop molting for the final time around seven years old. This shell is the one they have until they die, which slowly degrades over time. “What we have found is that when the crab is in the stages before a new shell is developed – where they have a soft shell immediately post-molt, which is easily penetrated – that’s likely when the parasite infects the host,” Aspen added.

Aspen Coyle
While working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (unrelated to her current project), Aspen joined a Bering Sea crab survey.

In a related project with NOAA, Aspen is examining gene expression in infected and uninfected crabs held at various temperatures. Keep an eye out for a future story on this topic!

Currently in her fifth year of a master’s program at SAFS, Aspen is in the process of writing up and publishing her research. She is also contributing to a chapter of a book for the American Fishery Society on the experiences of women and femmes in fishery sciences.

Community and connection with the Alaska Salmon Program

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It’s not all work while visiting the Alaska Salmon Program camps for the summer field season. Students head up to southwest Alaska, some for over three months, and downtime is a chance to explore, connect with their peers, and experience living in a field camp.

Naomi Prahl
Lots of fish!

Some students are avid fishers and get to experience fishing in a location that vacationers usually pay a large sum to enjoy. Ryan Luvera, a SAFS and Marine Biology double major entering his third year, shared: “Outside of a typical workday I love to fish, and the fishing up here is truly world class.” 

Whether you have visited the camps in person or only seen pictures, the location continues to be one that awes. Hiking Church Mountain, a familiar sight towering over the Lake Nerka field camp, is a tradition among those who spend time with the Alaska Salmon Program. “It was very steep but so worth it, both for the views and the sense of accomplishment. We got a bonus lesson on the history of glaciation in the valleys visible from the top. It was amazing to see the concepts physically laid out in the landscape,” Emma Meyer, a junior at SAFS, said. 

Some of the more subtle experiences are among the most memorable. “One of my favorite things to do was have lunch in the tundra,” said Callie Murakami, a SAFS major now in her third year. “Some days we packed lunches and snacks to have while we were out, and we would sit in the open tundra to eat. The ground was soft, there were crowberries and cloudberries growing everywhere, and we could all chat and take a break. Even in the rain, nothing could beat a tundra lunch.” 

Emma Meyer
A view from the top of Church Mountain.

Building a sense of community is a key part of the experience, from studying and working during the day, to pitching in for mealtimes and spending evenings together. “As a class, we all enjoyed each other’s company and would often play speed solitaire, cambio, and bananagrams in the evening after dinner,” shared Emma Bell, who will soon be graduating from SAFS. “One night we made popcorn and had a movie night which was also really fun.”

For many students, visiting Alaska is a highlight of their time studying at the University of Washington. “Last year I was at Friday Harbor Labs, and I thought that was going to be the peak experience of my college experience, and then I came to Aleknagik,” said Ryan Luvera. “This is truly an experience like no other, being able to be in living quarters with so many brilliant minds, I wish I could spend every summer here!”

Ryan Luvera
Salmon are not the only wildlife in these parts!

For others, it’s an opportunity to see another side of the fishery that they have experience with. Naomi Prahl, a SAFS major going into her senior year, shared: “I work as a commercial fisherman in the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery, which is the fishery that utilizes the ASP data for their management decisions. Working in the fishery gave me a first look at how incredible the Bristol Bay ecosystem is, and getting to be a student with ASP this summer felt like a full circle moment. I got to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of the fishing job that I love so much. There was something almost magical about getting to see the salmon in every life stage through the class this summer after working a fishing season beforehand.”

Putting into practice key skills learned throughout their academic journeys is a central part of the Alaska Salmon Program and sets students on course for a range of opportunities in the future, from further study in graduate programs to careers in academic institutions and fishery-related fields. “I learned a lot of valuable skills about field and professional work, such as preparation and flexibility when it comes to working in the field, and how to work and communicate better as a team,” shared Callie Murakami.

How do students find out about this opportunity to spend a summer in Alaska? “While I was attending community college my only intention after I graduated was to transfer to SAFS,” said Emma Bell. “I was constantly looking at the SAFS webpage and seeing all the cool opportunities they offered and thought that the Alaska Salmon Program seemed really incredible. When I saw the flier posted, I was so excited to fill out an application.”

Emma Meyer
A trek through the tundra.

Hundreds of students from UW have spent time with the Alaska Salmon Program over the last few decades, immersing themselves in one of the world’s most remarkable ecosystems. For future students, Naomi Prahl shared some advice: “Just get excited. It’s such an incredible and unique opportunity and I think the way to appreciate it fully would be to dive in headfirst. Don’t hide your enthusiasm and share what you’re excited to learn about. When you get there, try everything. Don’t shy away from asking questions and trying things you have no experience with. Take full advantage of the learning opportunities presented.”

The return of the sockeye: Read Part 1 of the 2024 ASP blog series

Clicks not bricks: A global assessment of the online trade of ornamental crayfish

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They may be small, but crayfish are mighty in other ways, one of them being invasive risk in areas where they are not natively found. A type of freshwater crustacean, crayfish are increasingly being traded online for ornamental purposes, such as aquariums. In a new study led by SAFS Professor Julian Olden and published on Sept. 9 in Conservation Biology, the first ever global assessment of the online trade in and associated invasion risk of freshwater crayfishes was conducted with co-author Francisco Carvalho from the University of Minho.

We are all familiar with the global pet trade, ranging from buying dogs and house cats to the trade in exotic pets and endangered species such as pangolins. But the trade in terrestrial species is not the only one occurring. The global pet trade, including aquatic species, constitutes a burgeoning pathway for the intentional introduction of non-native species, with 6-19% of hobbyists admitting to releasing unwanted aquarium animals into the wild on at least one occasion. Popular stories of released goldfish growing to the size of a football might be ringing a bell. Crayfish are another aquatic species increasingly traded via e-commerce over recent decades, presenting an invasive and biosecurity risk when released into the wild.

Nathan Daly, Wikimedia Commons
A blue crayfish in a freshwater aquarium. Crayfish are increasingly traded via e-commerce over recent decades, presenting an invasive and biosecurity risk when released into the wild.

Hot spots of invasion risk were identified in the new study as those areas facing both high frequency of listings offering shipment and favorable environmental conditions to support species establishment. By systematically examining e-commerce marketplaces in multiple languages, scraping information that included species identity, price, quantity, and shipping designation from each crayfish listing, the researchers revealed that the global crayfish trade involved online marketplaces in 33 countries spanning five different continents. Germany (17% of listings), the United States (13%), South Korea (9%), Russia (7%), and France (6%) were found to be the epicenters of online ornamental marketplaces, although the study found websites selling crayfish located across the globe.

Where are these crayfish ending up? Olden and Carvalho identified the major shipping routes with respect to the number of species offered and total listings. Germany (33 species with 34% of listings) and Spain (24 species with 8% of listings) were the major shippers to countries in Europe, with the United States to Canada another major route (15 species with 4% of listings). They also found that most marketplaces that shipped internationally were in Europe and Asia (81%), and the major trade routes occurred in Europe, particularly between EU countries.

Figure 4, Olden and Carvalho (2024)
Trade routes of the global online trade in ornamental crayfish for (a) all countries and (b) countries of Europe connecting online marketplaces selling ornamental crayfish to the potential destinations according to the shipping policies of online marketplaces (line thickness, proportional to number of listings from the origin country to the destination country; countries differentiated by color).

The geographic hotspots for invasive risk of non-native crayfish coincided with both elevated opportunities for introduction (greater shipping offerings) and establishment. Many options exist to tackle this issue, such as fortifying border inspections, enforcing current law, enhancing communication with the ornamental species industry, and encouraging humane disposal of unwanted ornamental species versus releasing into the wild. However, the shift of commerce away from brick and mortar to online clicks has posed many regulatory challenges to enforce these actions. Persistent gaps in understanding the online pet trade remain, but this study presents an important first step because the results illustrate the taxonomy, geography, and economics of the global online trade in ornamental crayfish.

Reflections on Tribal Fisheries and Co-Management 50 years after the Boldt Decision: Bevan Symposium

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read the post-event blog here

The School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS) annually hosts the “Bevan Seminar on Sustainable Fisheries” funded by gifts from the Bevan family, and contributions from NOAA Fisheries and SAFS. This year, we will hold a one-day symposium on Thursday November 21, 2024, centered on Tribal voices, reflecting on the past 50 years and considering what the future of Washington fisheries will look like over the next 50 years.

Because of space constraints, only invited participants and individuals that pre-registered for the event will be able to attend. Please register here.

What was the Boldt Decision?

In his 1974 decision, Judge Boldt upheld Tribal treaty-reserved rights by:

  • Interpreting the treaty language, “The right of taking fish at usual and accustomed grounds and stations is further secured to said Indians in common with all citizens of the Territory…” to mean that the Tribes were entitled to half the harvestable number of salmon returning to or passing through the tribes’ usual and accustomed fishing places.
  • Establishing the Tribes as co-managers of the salmon resource with the state.
  • Established conservation standards that restricted the ability of the state to regulate treaty Indian fishing.

(Source: Understanding Tribal Treaty Rights in Western Washington, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission).

To learn more, visit the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission webpage on Treaties.

Event Details

  • When: Thursday November 21, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
  • Where: Alder Hall Auditorium and Commons
  • What: Facilitated panel discussions featuring 15 + members of Washington State Tribes and other experts on Tribal fisheries management

Program

Panelist and Moderator Biographies

8:30: Registration Check In

9:00: Opening Session

  • Opening Prayer: Phil Hamilton, Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Welcome to UW and the Bevan Symposium: Tim Essington, Director, SAFS

9:15: Setting the Stage: The Stories – and People – Behind the Boldt Decision

  • Opening Remarks: Chairman Jaison Elkins, Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Scott Schuyler, Upper Skagit Tribe
  • Connie McCloud, Puyallup Tribe
  • Roger Fernandes, Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe
  • Boldt Decision 101 – a Legal Primer: Mary Neil. Lummi Nation. Attorney for Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Honoring Billy Frank Jr.

10:30 – 10:45: Break

10:45 – 12:15: Panel 1. Challenges, Successes, and Opportunities for Co-Management

Moderator: Cecilia Gobin, Tulalip Tribe, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

  • Maia Bellon, Cascadia Law Group
  • Phil Hamilton, Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Cleve Jackson, Quinault Nation
  • Jason Schaffler, Senior Quantitative Scientist for the Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Chet Tweed, Quinault Nation
  • Althea Wilson, Lummi Nation
  • Shawn Yanity, Stillaguamish Tribe

12:15 – 1:15: Lunch

1:15 – 2:45: Panel 2. Sustaining Tribal Fisheries for the Next 50 years 

Moderator: Julia Parrish, University of Washington

  • Vanessa Castle, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Ridges to Riffles
  • Ron Charles, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
  • Ed Johnstone, Quinault Nation. Chair, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission;
  • Scott Schuyler, Upper Skagit Tribe
  • Tandy Wilbur, Swinomish Tribe

2:45 – 3:00 : Break

3:00 – 4:00: Panel 3. Tribal Fisheries’ Cultural Resiliency and Food Sovereignty during a Time of Climate Change

Moderator: Charlotte Coté, Tseshaht / Nuu-chaah-nulth

  • Micah McCarty, Makah Tribe
  • Connie McCloud, Puyallup Tribe

4:00 – 4:45: Q&A: Dos and Don’ts for Respectful Research Collaboration with Pacific NW Tribes

Moderator: Nicole Doran, University of Washington

  • Ashley Nicole Lewis, Quinault Nation

4:45: Closing Session

  • Phil Hamilton, Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Tim Essington, University of Washington

5:00: Reception in Alder Commons

The Bevan Symposium on Sustainable Fisheries is supported by the generous contributions from the Bevan Family and NOAA Fisheries.

Aquatic Invasive Research Undergraduate Opportunity

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Be part of a regional response and a collaborative project involving the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Geological Survey!

The team is looking to recruit an undergraduate researcher to help with a project focused on acoustic monitoring for invasive American bullfrogs. These large frogs are voracious predators that can decimate native species populations, and northwestern pond turtles have been heavily impacted by predation on hatchling and juvenile turtles. However, bullfrogs make a distinct call, and acoustic monitoring can serve as an early warning system to detect the presence of bullfrogs and allow for a quick management response. Students should be interested in learning to code and develop machine learning tools. There is the potential to earn research credit with Dr. Sarah Converse in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

Interested students can email their CV and any questions to Staci.Amburgey@dfw.wa.gov.

CA Ocean Access & MPA Management Project Hiring Undergraduate Student Assistant

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The California Ocean Access & MPA Management Project is hiring an undergraduate student assistant. This project aims to learn more about how people from disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities (as defined by the US Census), and Tribal communities access, use, relate to, and/or value the ocean. Additionally, the project plans to investigate the ability of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to amplify or diminish such benefits for people across different demographics, locations, and user groups as climate change progresses. The ultimate goal of this effort is the co-development of local strategies for increasing equity in ocean access and MPA management in a changing climate. The research collective (UCSC, UCSB, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation) has conducted interviews, administered surveys, and is planning to hold focus group discussions in January 2025. Interested candidates will be working alongside a graduate student to help develop results from survey data and aid with focus group materials. More information can be found here.

Position Supervisors: Dr. Corey Garza, Taylor Triviño (graduate student on project)

Department/Lab: Marine Landscape Ecology Lab

Required Skills: familiarity with R

Desired Skills: collaborative (comfortable working in a large team), adaptable/persistent

Start/End dates: October 2024–June 2025 (dates subject to change)

Weekly Time Commitment: 10–15 hours

Wage: $21.57/hr

How to apply: send resume and cover letter to tay16@uw.edu & cgarza2@uw.edu

Deadline to apply: position open until filled, looking to hire ASAP

Uncovering parasites in one of the world’s largest fish collections

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Housed in a set of World War II artillery bunkers on the outskirts of New Orleans is a surprising, and gargantuan, fish collection. Home to the largest collection of post-larval fish specimens in the world – 7 million to be precise – the Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection at the Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute (TUBRI) was the destination for a group of UW researchers over the summer.

Led by Chelsea Wood, a parasitologist and Associate Professor at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, a team of eight undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, and research technologists spent 10 weeks in New Orleans to collect the largest long-term dataset on parasites that exists for freshwater fish.

The team arrives for work at the Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute, in the English Turn region of the Mississippi River, near Belle Chasse, LA.
Specimens of emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides) originally collected from the Pearl River in 1971 float in a jar after being dissected and having their parasites counted and removed.

This is a shift away from the marine fishes that Chelsea usually works on, but no less fascinating. Interested in understanding how environmental change impacts the presence of parasites in wildlife, Chelsea and her team have been working with museums to develop long-term datasets by dissecting fish and inspecting their insides. “One of the things that makes the Tulane collection so special is how systematically the fish specimens have been collected over nearly half a century,” Chelsea shared.

“Some of these jars, which are organized in rows upon rows of shelving, hold thousands of individual fish collected from one place at one time,” she said. “They’re preserved so perfectly that as you look at them in the jar you can almost imagine them starting to swim. And this systematic, perfect preservation is invaluable for our parasite work, as the parasites are preserved right along with their host: the fish.”

One of the key questions driving the team’s work is: does pollution kill parasites or help them? “The Pearl River, which empties into the Gulf in New Orleans, has a lot of pollution inputs, including pulp mills, poultry farms and agricultural wastewater,” she shared.

A live tapeworm as seen through a stereomicroscope.

The team focused on seven fish species – Carpiodes velifer, Gambusia affinis, Hybognathus nuchalis, Ictalurus punctatus, Notropis atherinoides, Percina vigil, and Pimephales vigilax – chosen because they were common both above and below pulp mills, and before and after the Clean Water Act of 1972. “Due to the systematic sampling and preservation of fish above and below the pulp mills between 1963 and 2005, the Tulane fish collection is set up very well to help answer our questions,” Chelsea said. Setting their own lab record, her team dissected 1,200 fish in 10 weeks. “This was a fantastic outcome, and a true testament to the amazing team we had this year,” she added.

So, what did the team find out? Many things are too early to tell, but more than 36,000 individual parasites were found during dissection. One of the exciting things Chelsea highlighted about this project is its relation to other parasite datasets. “Our lab has learned a lot about how marine parasites change through time in response to things like climate change,” she said. “But we don’t know if what is true in marine environments also applies to freshwater fish or terrestrial animals. With this move to freshwater fish, it’s helping us to understand whether the kinds of change we’re seeing in marine fishes and their parasites are general or specific to marine ecosystems.”

REU intern and UW Marine Biology major, Jolee Thirtyacre, randomly selects fish for dissection from among several hundred in one jar.

Extending a special thanks to the team of scientists at Tulane, Chelsea shared that her team felt the welcoming spirit of New Orleans. “The TUBRI lab space is not huge, and our team of nine descended like an invading army. We are so grateful to Hank Bart, the current curator, Justin Mann who manages the collection, and all of the wonderful staff at TUBRI.”

“I like to describe this collection as a gift that’s been passed down through several generations of scientists,” Chelsea added. “Now we get to discover what’s been going in the fish housed here, many of which were collected before any of my research team, including me, were born!”

Funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF), Chelsea’s team included four members of the Wood Lab: Gabriella (Gabby) Commisso, Dakeishla (Daki) Diaz-Morales, Katie Leslie, and Connor Whalen, plus four undergrads whose participation was supported by the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program: Desmond Boyd (University of South Carolina), Shyanne Christner (Valdosta State University, Imani Jones (Tuskegee University), and Jolee Thirtyacre (University of Washington).

Director of the Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute Hank Bart teaches SAFS graduate students Gabby Commisso and Connor Whalen how to seine fish near Pools Bluff Sill, Bogalusa, LA.

“Each member of team is leading the charge on their own part of the data analysis,” Chelsea said. “Daki is working on how multiple stressors combine to influence parasites, Gabby is looking at how the parasites of invasive hosts respond to environmental change, and Connor is investigating how parasites respond to extreme weather events, which are common in this region.” This project is part of a larger effort that will continue with a field expedition to Albuquerque, New Mexico, next summer.

For the undergrads, this was an incredible research experience which gave a real insight into how team science works. “Our undergrads were spectacular, moving their research projects forward at a pace we didn’t expect. From conducting their own statistical analyses in R, to learning and using GitHub, to finishing off poster presentations at the end of the summer, it was incredible to watch them take to this research like ducks to water,” Chelsea said.

What can we expect from the Albuquerque project in 2025? “It turns out that fish collections from urban areas are uncommon, and that’s where the Museum of Southwestern Biology, based at the University of New Mexico, is unique,” Chelsea shared. “We will be developing a time series of parasite burden starting from the 1920s, which spans before and after the urbanization of Albuquerque, and we’ll be looking above and below stream that brings stormwater into the Rio Grande.”

Stay tuned for 2025!

The team after seining fish near Pools Bluff Sill, Bogalusa, LA. From left to right: SAFS graduate student Connor Whalen, REU intern and UW Marine Biology major Jolee Thirtyacre, REU intern Shyanne Christner (Valdosta State), Director of the Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute Hank Bart, SAFS postdoc Daki Diaz Morales, SAFS graduate student Gabby Commisso, SAFS professor Chelsea Wood, REU intern Imani Jones (Tuskegee University), REU intern Desmond Boyd (University of South Carolina).

Watch the video from their trip to New Orleans