Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) are parasites on salmonid fish and a density-dependent constraint to the sustainable farming of salmonids in open net pens. To control the parasites, fish farmers in Norway are required to count the number of salmon lice in different developmental stages on a subset of the fish each week. Furthermore, they must ensure that the number of adult female lice per fish does not increase beyond a specified threshold level.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEstablishing freedom from disease is a key component of surveillance and may have direct consequences for trade and economy. Transboundary populations pose challenges in terms of variable legislation, efforts, and data availability between countries, often limiting surveillance efficiency. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disease of cervids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHarvesting and culling are methods used to monitor and manage wildlife diseases. An important consequence of these practices is a change in the genetic dynamics of affected populations that may threaten their long-term viability. The effective population size ( ) is a fundamental parameter for describing such changes as it determines the amount of genetic drift in a population.
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