Disease assays conducted on harbor seal blood serum in Prince William Sound, Alaska: 1975 - 2001

• Main Authors: Frost, Kathryn, Iverson, Sara, Lowry, Lloyd, Simpkins, Mike, Ver Hoef, Jay
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Gulf of Alaska Data Portal 2013
• Subjects: harbor seal; prince william sound; Brucella; phocid herpesvirus; phocine distemper virus; phoca vitulina richardsi; pinnipeds; serology; EVOSTC; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Oil Spill; Exxon Valdez; Alaska; Pelagic; Mammals; Anchorage; Gulf of Alaska; Lowry; Kodiak; Phoca vitulina
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5063/f1qj7f7n; https://goa.nceas.ucsb.edu/#view/doi:10.5063/F1QJ7F7N

Study History: Restoration Project 01064 began in 1993 as a continuation of the initial post-spill study effort conducted as Marine Mammal Study Number 5 (Assessment of Injury to Harbor Seals in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and Adjacent Areas) in 1989 through 1991 and reclassified as Restoration Study Number 73 (Harbor Seal Restoration Study) in 1992. A final report was issued in 1994 for the combined Marine Mammal Study Number 5 and Restoration Study Number 73, entitled Assessment of Injury to Harbor Seals in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and Adjacent Areas Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Subsequently, annual reports were submitted entitled Habitat Use, Behavior, and Monitoring of Harbor Seals in Prince William Sound: 1994 Annual Report, 1995 Annual Report, 1996 Annual Report , 1997 Annual Report, 1998 Annual Report, and 1999 Annual Report . Fatty acid studies funded under Restoration Project 94320-F (Trophic Interactions of Harbor Seals in Prince William Sound) were included in the 1994 annual report for 94064. Fatty acid studies were continued and reported as part of this study for the duration of the project. Abstract: Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) were captured in the coastal regions of Southeast Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Prince William Sound (PWS), and Kodiak Island during 1976-1999. Blood was collected from 286 seals. Sera were tested for evidence of exposure to Brucella spp., phocid herpesvirus-1 (PhoHV-1), phocid herpesvirus-2 (PhHV-2), and phocine distemper virus (PDV). Antibody prevalence rates were 46% (46/100) for Brucella spp., 93% (225/243) for PhoHV-1, 0% (0/286) for PhHV-2, and 1% (2/160) for PDV. Antibody prevalence for Brucella spp. was directly related to host age. Antibody prevalence for PhoHV-1 was higher in PWS as compared to the other three regions. No evidence of mortality attributable to these four agents was observed during the course of this study. Based on the results of this survey, none of these agents is considered a significant mortality factor in harbor seals from the four regions of coastal Alaska included in the study. Publications: Frost, K.J., L.F. Lowry, J.M. Ver Hoef , S.J. Iverson, and M.A. Simpkins. 2005. Monitoring, habitat use, and trophic interactions of harbor seals in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report (Restoration Project 01064), Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Habitat and Restoration Division, Anchorage, Alaska. Zarnke, R. L., T. C. Harder, H. W. Vos, J. M. Ver Hoef, and A. D. Osterhaus. 1997. Serologic survey for phocid herpesvirus-1 and -2 in marine mammals from Alaska and Russia. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 33: 459-65. Zarnke, R. L., J. T. Saliki, A. P. Macmillan, S. D. Brew, C. E. Dawson, J. M. Ver Hoef, and R. J. Small. 2005. Serologic survey for Brucella spp. bacteria, phocid herpesvirus-1, phocid herpesvirus-2, and phocine distemper virus in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) from Alaska, 1976-1999. Journal of Wildlife Disease