Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Colby Access Only)
Department
Colby College. Environmental Studies Program
Advisor(s)
Loren E. McClenachan
Second Advisor
F. Russell Cole
Third Advisor
Benjamin P. Neal
Abstract
Epizootic shell disease (ESD) of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a bacterial disease that erodes the shell of the lobster and has been common south of Cape Cod since 2000. As ocean temperatures have increased, epizootic shell disease has moved northward. Disease outbreaks have potential cataclysmic implications for the state of Maine due to coastal communities’ income dependence on a lobster. The goal of this thesis was to access the state of epizootic shell disease in Maine, as well as identify temporal and spatial trends of disease incidence. Additionally, links between water temperature and disease incidence in the Gulf of Maine were investigated. ESD incidence was investigated using data provided by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Lobster Sea Sampling Program. While overall levels in Maine state waters are low (
Keywords
global warming, Gulf of Maine
Recommended Citation
Stephens, Michael W. Jr., "Climate Change and Epizootic Shell Disease in American Lobsters (Homarus americanus): Is Maine's Most Valuable Fishery Doomed?" (2013). Honors Theses. Paper 705.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/705
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Comments
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