U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE HEALTH

CENTER HONOLULU FIELD STATION

PROGRAM REVIEW 2000-2005

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Executive Summary

The U. S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) is based in Madison Wisconsin and has a national mission to monitor and enhance the health of the nation’s wildlife. In May 2005, the NWHC will be undergoing its 5-year Center Review. This document provides an overview of activities and accomplishments for 2000-2005 of the National Wildlife Health Center’s only field station, the Honolulu Field Station (HFS). The HFS provides applied research and technical assistance to the conservation community in Hawaii and the Pacific. HFS activities range from the mountain to the sea and we partner with numerous federal and state agencies to address such issues as marine turtle fibropapillomatosis, mortalities of endangered forest birds and seabirds, prevention of West Nile Virus entry into Hawaii, and the role of introduced pathogens on the health of terrestrial and marine wildlife. This document provides an overview of the HFS, synopses of some of our projects in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, our role in helping prevent West Nile Virus from reaching Hawaii, and how our activities apply to wildlife management and conservation in Hawaii and the Pacific.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Thierry M. Work USGS-NWHC-HFS

PO Box 50167 Honolulu, HI 96850

Phone: (808) 792-9520 Fax: (808) 792-9596

Email: thierry_work@usgs.govWeb : http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/hfs/homepage.htm

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CONTENTS Swim a kilometer in our fins 4

Marine and Aquatic Ecosystems

-Marine turtle health 6

-Marine fish health 8

-Coral reef health 10

West Nile Virus 12

Management 14

Where do we go from here? 15

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SWIM A KILOMETER IN OUR FINS History: The Honolulu Field Station (HFS) was established in 1992 to assist conservation organizations in Hawaii and the Pacific in wildlife health related issues.

Staff: The HFS has two full-time employees (a veterinary medical officer (VMO) and a biological technician) and a part-time contract technician. Students and volunteers work intermittently at the HFS. To date, we have had 1 faculty, 4 veterinary, and 2 undergraduate students. The VMO also serves on graduate committees and has adjunct faculty status at University of Hawaii Dept. Animal Sciences and Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.

Facilities: We are based in the Federal Building in downtown Honolulu where we have office and laboratory space (star). We rent storage at a private company 5 miles away and a necropsy facility (left) from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture 10 miles away (map).

Budget: The HFS has an $183,000 Congressional add-on consumed (105%) by salaries and benefits for the two full-time employees. Operating costs are borne partly by subsidies from the National Wildlife Health Center and by extramural funding. Vision: Mission Success. Mission: Achieving healthy ecosystems through excellent science. Operations: The HFS offers clients technical assistance, directed research to solve specific problems, and outreach to disseminate findings to stakeholders. Examples of technical assistance include veterinary support for captive breeding programs,

investigations of wildlife mortality events, and addressing queries on wildlife health related issues. Investigations of mortality events help us identify problems that merit targeted research involving systematic planning and investigation of a specific issue. Outreach is one of our more important activities and includes such examples as workshops for biologists, presenting findings in scientific fora or

literature, or disseminating information via the web, through fact sheets, or as responses to public inquiries.

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Partners/Clients: For a full listing of our current partners, please see www.nwhc.usgs.gov/hfs/partners.htm. Currently, our most important clients are the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Dept. Interior), National Marine Fisheries Service (Dept. Commerce), the State of Hawaii, and US Department of Agricultural. Clients and partners change according to priorities, funding and nature of projects being carried out at the time. Theater of operations: While a majority of our work occurs on US territories, from 2000-2005, we have had research, technical assistance, or outreach projects dealing with birds, sea turtles, marine fish, or coral reefs throughout the Pacific (Hawaii, Johnston Atoll, Tahiti, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, Western Mexico, Ecuador, California) and the Atlantic (Venezuela, Eastern Mexico, US Virgin Islands). These projects have involved national and international collaborations. Funding has come from various governmental (NOAA, National Park Service, State of Hawaii), and non-governmental organizations (map).

Projects: Because most of our work is done on tropical islands, it is critical to understand processes affecting both terrestrial and marine ecosystems because they are closely interlinked. The HFS has projects looking at wildlife health in both environments. Major technical assistance projects include determining causes of mortality in endangered birds and doing surveillance for West Nile Virus in Hawaii. Ongoing research projects include assessing coral reef health in Hawaii and American Samoa, investigating the role of disease in introduced and native marine fish, elucidating causes of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles, and understanding the role of tumors in health of butterfly fish.

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MARINE TURTLE HEALTH Sea turtles: Of the seven species of sea turtles, two (the hawksbill and the more numerous green turtle) nest in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The major nesting grounds for green turtles are in French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii (circle on map) located ~1200 km NW of Honolulu. Although numbers of

nesting adults have been increasing steadily since green turtles were listed as threatened in the early 1970s, the prevalence of disease in immature turtles has also been increasing.

© U. Keuper-Bennett© U. Keuper-Bennett

© U. Keuper-Bennett© U. Keuper-BennettGREEN TURTLE FIBROPAPILLOMATOSIS Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor disease that affects a large percentage (40-60% depending on location) of green turtles in Hawaii and in the Atlantic. FP is found in green turtles throughout the Hawaiian archipelago (red dots)

however, for unknown reasons, the disease is virtually absent on the west (Kona-Kohala) coast of the island of Hawaii in spite of the presence of presumably susceptible turtles residing in that location. Pathophysiology: In 1999, we developed a system to quantify severity of FP in sea turtles. This system has proven very useful in elucidating the pathophysiology of FP in wild turtles. In addition, we developed laboratory tools to assess the immune response of wild green turtles. Using these tools, we now know that as severity of disease increases, turtles are more likely to become immunosuppressed; however, immunosuppression is not a pre-requisite for development of FP. Likewise, animals with more severe disease are more likely to have opportunistic bacterial infections.

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Epizootiology: Based on the studies outlined above, we know FP is probably fatal to many turtles. We also have evidence of this based on necropsy data from >200 turtles from throughout the Hawaiian islands that have revealing that FP is a major cause of stranding of sea turtles in Hawaii.

Does a virus cause FP?: Collaborative research with Cornell University revealed that a herpes virus is closely associated with FP in Hawaiian and Floridian green turtles. This virus has been detected with molecular tools, however, no one has yet succeeded in growing it the laboratory. However, an exciting recent development has been the development of a blood test for this virus that can be used to detect antibodies in turtles. This test uses recombinant protein technology and reveals that exposure to this virus is

probably necessary but not sufficient to cause FP. This will prompt the search for potential co-factors that could be responsible for formation of FP in turtles

HEALTH OF PELAGIC TURTLES Understanding diseases of animals is not possible without examining all life stages. While in-water and necropsy studies in Hawaii have revealed information regarding coastal populations of turtles, less is know of the health of pelagic turtles. In the past 3-4 years, we have been working closely with NMFS to necropsy sea turtles caught in the

North Pacific longline fisheries. We have found a female bias in turtles that are caught by longline vessels and that leatherback turtles tend to have more systemic lesions suggestive of disease than other species.

HEALTH OF LEATHERBACK TURTLES In 2000-2001, NOAA funded the HFS to conduct health survey of leatherback turtles in the Pacific. The HFS conducted workshops in Papua New Guinea for biologists from PNG and the Solomon islands and in Mexico for biologists from Costa Rica and Mexico. These were followed up with field sampling efforts to establish baseline

hematology and to get necropsy information on adults and hatchlings to determine causes of mortality on nesting beaches. Although the project was not continued due to lack of funding, contacts were established, particularly in Latin America, and new projects with green turtles and FP are now established and ongoing in Mexico.

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MARINE FISH HEALTH Background: Invasive species pose a major threat to terrestrial and marine ecosystems in Hawaii. Microbes are part of the biota that are potentially invasive and detrimental to native species. For example, malaria and toxoplasmosis in Hawaii have been responsible for major mortalities of endangered birds in Hawaii. However, the

role of microbes in marine biota has received less attention. As part of a contract from the University of Hawaii, the HFS was asked to examine fish at sewer outfalls around Oahu for liver tumors (an EPA requirement for Hawaii). We looked at two species of native and one species of non-native fish.

SHARED DISEASES OF NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE FISH

Blue lined snapper: The blue lined snapper (taape) was introduced into Oahu (arrow) from the

Marquesas in 1958. Since then, this fish has successfully established itself in

both the main and the northwestern

Hawaiian Islands where large schools can be commonly seen. Surveys at the sewer outfalls showed that taape had a high prevalence (40-50%) of infection with protozoa and bacteria in the spleen and kidneys. Given that taape tend to school with native goatfish, there was the concern of potential sharing of these parasites between taape and native goatfish.

Native goatfish: The HFS received funding from University of Hawaii to explore the question of whether native goatfish and taape shared similar parasites. We examined 4 different species of native goatfish from Oahu along with taape. We found that goatfish are indeed infected with parasites

similar to those found in taape and, depending on the species of goatfish, the prevalence can be quite significant (80+ percent). Future studies will focus on looking at taape in their native range to determine whether the parasites were introduced into Hawaii or are enzootic.

© Coral Reef Network.com

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TUMORS IN BUTTERFLY FISH

Tumors in butterfly fish: In addition to taape and native goatfish, we have started a new project to investigate potential causes of tumors in 2 species of native butterfly fish, the millet seed (left) and

reticulated (bottom) butterfly fish. Prior investigations by others have found that these fish species in Maui and Lanai have a high prevalence of pigment cell tumors.

We have now started investigating these tumors on Maui, Lanai and other islands. Recently, we found affected butterfly fish on South Kauai (blue dot on map) making this

the first documentation of these tumors outside of Lanai and Maui. Reports of these tumors have also been coming in from the island of Hawaii suggesting that this problem may be archipelago-wide. Potential causes: The HFS has been funded by the University of Hawaii to look into this issue. We are collaborating with Cornell University who will be applying molecular tools to see what viruses, if any, may be associated with these tumors in butterfly fish.

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CORAL REEF HEALTH

Background: Coral reef health has been an important topic in marine conservation, particularly in light of events in many areas of the Western Atlantic where the major reef building Acroporid corals have been decimated due to disease. Most of

the coral reef resources under US jurisdiction are actually in the Pacific Ocean and most coral diseases have not been characterized at the most fundamental level. Thus, in 2000, the HFS embarked on an effort to develop tools and methods to assess coral reef health. The rationale for this has been that diseases of corals should be amenable to a systematic approach similar to those used to determine the causes of mortalities of other animals. Name your disease: A major limitation of coral disease is that many investigators have been assigning syndromes or names to various coral diseases without specifying systematic criteria or developing case definitions. In addition, standard biomedical diagnostic approaches to diseases of corals have seldom been applied to corals. This lack of standardization has led to much confusion in the literature and makes it hard to interpret findings of disease from geographically disparate areas. Current limitations: One of the major limitations to making progress in the field of coral disease is that little is known about the physiology of corals. In addition, many laboratory tools commonly used to investigate and diagnose disease in higher animals either do not exist or are difficult to adapt to marine environments. Nevertheless, some tools can be adapted to more systematically characterize lesions in corals.

A different approach: The HFS has partnered with coral reef biologists from the Bishop Museum, US Fish and Wildlife Service, State of Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources, USGS, and University of Hawaii to communicate the importance of disease in marine invertebrates. Critically, the biology community in Hawaii is recognizing the importance of incorporating health during routine surveys and assessments of marine ecosystems. In some cases, monitoring surveys that used

to only incorporate fish, invertebrate, coral and algal teams now routinely have a health team. Lesions in corals are quantified and described systematically and samples are taken for routine microscopic exams. The HFS has led or participated in reef health surveys in the main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, Johnston Atoll, and US Virgin Islands.

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Other marine inverts get sick too: Although coral reefs comprise the major structure of tropical marine ecosystems, reef health does not stop at corals. A holistic approach to diseases of marine organisms can only benefit managers and the resource by providing information on multiple trophic and evolutionary levels. Accordingly, the HFS has investigated mortalities of other marine creatures that, in some cases, could be considered keystone species.

URCHIN MORTALITIES IN JOHNSTON ATOLL NWR

Urchins die at Johnston Atoll: In 2002, there was a mass mortality of the two major species of sea urchins at Johnston Atoll NWR. This was an important development because urchins are critical species in coral reefs acting as grazers thereby modulating amounts of macroalgae on the reefs. Massive mortalities of urchins in the Caribbean in the 1980s resulted in major ecological shifts that persist to this day.

Investigations by the HFS revealed that urchins were dying from parasite infestations. Follow-up surveys in 2003 failed to reveal the parasite in recovering populations, and this, along with other evidence, suggests this may have been a population-density dependent event. Regrettably, Johnston Atoll NWR is no longer readily accessible for visiting scientists.

COWRIE MORTALITIES ON KAUAI In 2002, there was an unusual mortality of cowries on Kauai.

Mortalities of these organisms on a large scale have been documented only once before in Hawaii in the 1950s, and no efforts were made to determine the cause. Investigations by

the HFS revealed that most animals were dying acutely in disparate areas and microscopy revealed acute inflammation and necrosis of the gills. The HFS was called in on the tail

end of the mortality, so few diagnostic specimens were available; however, biologists there are now more vigilant regarding health of marine invertebrates.

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WEST NILE VIRUS

What is it? West Nile virus (WNV) was introduced into New York in 1999. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes from birds to humans. Since its entry into the US, WNV has ravaged native birds in the United States and has caused mortality and illness in humans, horses, and even alligators. This year, WNV virus appeared in California where it has continued to kill birds and cause human illness. How could WNV affect Hawaii? Hawaii has over 30 species of endangered birds including honeycreepers, waterfowl, crows and raptors. All these birds are potentially susceptible to infection with WNV. Given the

impact WNV has had on the mainland, its entry into Hawaii would likely kill large numbers of our native avifauna, many of which have lost their resistance to many diseases found on the mainland. In fact, given that the mosquito that transmits WNV is already here, there is the very real possibility that the virus could exterminate many native bird species already on the edge of extinction, such as the palila (picture). Entry of WNV into Hawaii could also have severe economic ramifications for our tourist industry. How could WNV get to Hawaii? WNV could enter Hawaii through a variety of routes including illegal shipment of infected birds, infected mosquitoes that hitchhike either on containers or airlines, or infected humans. However, unlike other states, we don't just have to sit there and wait for the virus to get here. The 2500 miles of ocean that separate us from the mainland gives us a huge advantage, and if we act decisively and implement a strong surveillance and response effort, we stand a good chance of preventing the establishment of this virus in Hawaii.

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What is the Honolulu Field Station doing about WNV in Hawaii? There are two strategies to prevent the establishment of WNV here: Prevention and Response. Prevention involves establishing a surveillance system that allows us to detect the virus as soon as it gets here. Response involves implementing aggressive mosquito control to prevent the spread of the virus. There are 4 ways to detect WNV: Find dead birds and test them for WNV, find human cases, or test mosquitoes and wild birds.

Since 2002, in collaboration with USDA Wildlife Services, the Honolulu Field Station has been sampling wild birds around Honolulu International Airport (a likely area of entry of the virus). We have been focusing efforts on Java sparrows and lace neck doves because these birds are numerous. The birds have been tested for West Nile Virus by Orange County Vector Control District and, more recently, Hawaii Department of Health (DOH).

© L. Poh In September 2004, the Honolulu Field Station trained Hawaii DOH personnel on Maui to bleed birds thus

expanding surveillance capacity there. Since 2003, the Honolulu Field Station has been working closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Hawaii Department of Health, and other organizations to plan and implement surveillance and control measures for WNV in Hawaii. Finally, the HFS is collaborating with NWHC researchers who are conducting experimental infections of non-native birds from Hawaii in attempts to see if they may be suitable hosts or reservoirs of WNV.

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MANAGEMENT Science for the public: We believe strongly that a balance must be maintained between applied and theoretical science. The latter provides immediate benefits to resource managers while the former is needed to develop new tools

to conserve and protect natural resources. Because the HFS works very closely with managers, we emphasize science that will help biologists do their jobs more effectively. The HFS has a track record of doing science that has strong management implications. Outreach: The HFS routinely shares its science with the public through workshops (English or Spanish) held either in the US or overseas, lectures in academic courses, scientific meetings, and on the web (www.nwhc.usgs.gov/hfs/homepage.htm). The HFS also produces manuals to help biologists throughout the world more effectively do their job. One example, the ever popular sea turtle necropsy manual, is available on line (www.nwhc.usgs.gov/hfs/products.htm) in English, Spanish, Japanese and Italian.

Technology transfer: We develop tools that can be used by the conservation community to enhance and facilitate wildlife management. For example, a scoring system devised by the HFS and NMFS to measure the severity of FP in sea turtles is now used in Florida and Australia. Methods to safely translocate endangered forest birds jointly developed by the HFS and the state of Hawaii are now used to reintroduce endangered Hawaiian passerines into their native range. More recently, the HFS provided

veterinary assistance for the first re-introduction of the endangered Laysan duck into its former range on Midway Atoll. Wildlife disease prevention: When possible, we work with managers to mitigate or prevent the occurrence of wildlife diseases. For example, surveys of lead poisoning in Laysan albatross on Midway Atoll provided guidance to the USFWS for lead hazard mitigation when the island was transferred from Dept. Defense to Dept. Interior. Mortalities of endangered waterfowl in Hawaii have been mitigated through public education and effective wetland management. The discovery of parasitic disease in endangered Hawaiian crows resulted in their being completely pulled from the wild to preserve the species. Ongoing surveillance efforts for WNV in Hawaii are geared to early detection and rapid response.

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Cement and expand existing collaborations on health of marine organisms: The science of marine ecosystem health is inchoate and, because marine organisms range across multiple

oceans, making significant progress will require collaborations on a national and international scale. Our specific goal is to build upon a foundation to strengthen marine health studies in Hawaii and the Pacific by continuing to forge links with government and non-governmental organizations. Develop field and laboratory tools to assess health of marine organisms: In contrast to diseases of terrestrial organisms, we are woefully under-equipped to look at health of marine ecosystems. There is a critical need to develop fundamental information on prevalence and pathophysiology of disease as well as basic physiology of major marine organisms. While some of these tools can be pulled off the shelf, it is likely that others will need to be created de novo.

Develop new ways to assess wildlife health using information and biotechnology: Many wildlife diseases are diagnosed on the necropsy table. Although we have made limited progress on assessing health of live wild animals, we are still behind the curve on having the means to rapidly detect causes of morbidity in wild animals. Furthermore, a full understanding of disease in wildlife demands monitoring status and trends of disease over time, which can be logistically challenging. Use of remote

technologies and biotechnology will be an important component of wildlife health assessment and management in the future. Increase wildlife health collaborations with Latin America and other countries: We are one of the few countries in the world that employs scientists full time to study wildlife health. Our unique skills have proved useful to wildlife management in many situations. Because diseases do not recognize borders, helping and sharing ideas with other countries not only helps them….it helps us by providing fresh perspective and creative solutions to problems and issues facing wildlife in US territories.