The recent detection of the invasive colonial tunicate Diplosoma listerianum in Havre- Aubert, Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada) in 2008, prompted the development of a molecular assay as a method to detect and monitor for the potential invasion of this species in Prince Edward ...

Resistance development to parasiticides has been a problem in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. A major challenge exists in early detection of resistance emergence due to the low frequency at which resistant organisms can occur initially within a population and the difficulty in detecting t...

The host parasite system of the MSX parasite, Haplosporidium nelsoni, in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, poses many challenges for experimental study. The interactions that are involved in the development of the typically high prevalence and intensities of disease encountered in certain e...

Invasive tunicates are creating costly fouling problems to the mussel aquaculture industry in many regions including Prince Edward Island, Canada. These invasive tunicates are also posing a threat to the ecosystem integrity of native species. There are currently four invasive tunicate species presen...

A letter to the editor is presented discussing polychaete composition in blue mussel fouling communities in relation to mussel stocking density and seasonality of mussel deployment and sampling.

Blue mussel Mytilus edulis aquaculture lines and associated gear provide habitat for sessile and mobile epifaunal fouling organisms. Due to food limitations and substrate space, these species are likely to interact among themselves and with mussels. In some areas of Prince Edward Island and elsewher...

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the pesticides/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixture on aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), p53 and ubiquitin mRNA level in haemocytes of Mya arenaria exposed to a mixture of chlorothalonil, mancozeb and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) for 48 and 72 h. AhR,...

There are currently four invasive tunicate species which are causing significant challenges to the aquaculture industry in Atlantic Canada: Ciona intestinalis, Styela clava, Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus. These tunicates foul mussel socks, aquaculture gear, boat hulls and wharves. ...

Four hundred eighty mature marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) were collected in late April from a mussel lease in an estuary in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Squash preparations made of reproductive gland (mantle) tissue of each mussel were stained with Wright-Giemsa stain and were examined by one inve...

Anecdotal reports from mussel growers suggest that increased stocking density decreases the settlement and growth of the fouling organisms Styela clava (clubbed tunicate) and Ciona intestinalis (vase tunicate). To evaluate this hypothesis, 15 mussel socks of low (90 mussels per 30 cm), medium (250 m...

In 2004, an exotic tunicate, Ciona intestinalis, was detected in Montague River, Prince Edward Island. Since it was first detected, this exotic species has become an invasive nuisance species creating production problems in bivalve aquaculture industries including handling difficulties and resource ...

A colorimetric method (glucose oxidase/peroxidase) for indirect measurement of glycogen concentrations in tissue homogenates of marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) was evaluated. This method uses a conversion of glycogen to glucose by amyloglucosidase. Varying the buffer pH (4.5, 5.0; 5.5) and the amylo...

A colorimetric method for indirect measurement of glycogen concentrations in tissue homogenates of eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) was evaluated. This method uses a conversion of glycogen to glucose by amyloglucosidase. The procedure was optimized Fur extracting buffer pH (5.0) and amylogluc...

Since all retroviruses possess reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, reverse transcriptase activity has been the main supportive evidence of retroviral etiology of haemic neoplasia (HN) in soft shell clams, Mya arenaria. The objective of the present study was to search for a putative retrovirus in vari...

Invasive species such as ascidians have negative effects on aquaculture operations worldwide. Prince Edward Island, Canada, in particular has seen high fouling levels of non-native tunicates including the colonials Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus. Previous research indicated that hig...

Diagnosis of haemic neoplasia (HN) in the soft shell clam, Mya arenaria, is often achieved by hematocytology and histology. Since neoplastic cells display tetraploid DNA contents, haemocyte cell cycle analysis was developed for use as a diagnosis tool. The aim of this study was to assess the applica...

The zoonotic protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium parvum, and Giardia duodenalis can colonize the gastrointestinal tracts of many farmed, domestic and wild animals, and are capable of causing disease in humans. Due to their high prevalence in dairy and beef cattle, farms are considered to be potentia...

The first confirmed report of the invasive solitary ascidian Styela clava (clubbed tunicate) in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)
production area of March Water in Malpeque Bay, Prince Edward Island (PEI), occurred in September of 2002. Mussel farms in
eastern PEI waters have been challenge...