DAO SPECIAL 6:

Disease Effects on Lobster Fisheries, Ecology, and Culture

Editors: Don Behringer, Mark Butler, Grant Stentiford

-- To appear mid 2012 --

Lobsters are valued globally for their functions as integral members of benthic ecosystems and prized seafood commodities. They are not fraught with many epizootic diseases in the wild, but there are several pathogens which have exacted high mortalities including epizootic shell disease in the American lobster, Panulirus argus Virus 1 in the Caribbean spiny lobster, and Hematodinium sp. in the Norway lobster. However, as with other decapods, culture and holding facilities have seen the rise of several others, including gaffkemia and bumper car disease. The special session and workshop on disease at the 2011 International Conference and Workshop on Lobster Biology and Management in Bergen, Norway highlighted the current state of knowledge regarding many of these pathogens. The papers in this special edition of DAO focus on the role of disease in fisheries, ecology, and culture, and discuss some of the potential ways forward in managing disease.