California Sea Grant College Program

This project was designed to address an emerging disease problem encountered in restoration efforts for the white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis) in California. Once an abundant species, declines have encouraged hatchery-based enhancement of this popular sport fish. Infections with a rickettsial-like intracellular pathogen caused serious losses in the hatchery in 1998. Losses in the hatchery exposed serious knowledge gaps with respect to the type of intracellular parasite causing the disease, the potential sources of the parasite, what diagnostic methods could be developed to detect it, what impacts could the parasite have on other marine or anadromous species (e.g., Pacific salmon) and lastly what means might be developed to control the disease caused by the parasite.