The health of humans, other terrestrial and aquatic animals, and ecosystems are inextricably linked. Conservation medicine is an interdisciplinary field that was born after the recognition of the links between emerging infectious diseases in humans and newly recognized wild animal vectors. In particular, early conservation medicine focused on the relationships between human impact on ecosystems and the responses in wild animal populations, especially those under stress (e.g. endangered primates), which led to novel routes of infectious disease transmission. However, the complexity of the problems faced by threatened and endangered species today requires a broader approach in conservation medicine, one that encompasses all the facets of contemporary human biomedicine. This includes an appreciation of other vital processes in the health and fitness of individuals and populations, such as development, physiology, endocrinology and reproduction, and neurobiology and behavior.

Of the myriad anthropogenic stressors placed on fish and their habitats, our research team focuses on chemical contaminants. River systems, estuaries, and nearshore areas in the Pacific Northwest are often contaminated with a diverse array of environmental pollutants that potentially impact the health of native fish species. These include threatened or endangered populations of Pacific salmon as well as herring, rockfish, and other at-risk marine stocks. Our team investigates the effects of common contaminants on developing fish embryos and larvae, the fish reproductive system, sensory physiology and behavior. A particular emphasis is on biological mechanisms and health impacts that may ultimately reduce the survival or reproductive success of fish under natural exposure conditions. At present, our major focus is on non-point source pollution. This includes stormwater runoff and other common sources of contaminants (e.g., pesticides, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in urbanizing coastal environments and some agricultural watersheds. At the same time, the high degree of evolutionary conservation across vertebrate phyla allows fish to serve as environmental sentinels for potential chemical threats to human health. Many of these contaminants find their way into water through airborne deposition (e.g. from vehicle exhaust or aerial spraying of pesticides), so humans are often exposed to similar mixtures through inhalation, for example. Identification of contaminant effects on fish may thus shed light on how people are affected by exposure to the same chemicals.

The team takes an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to the problem of pollution and fish health, employing the viewpoint and advanced technologies associated with human biomedicine. Our work is conducted in laboratories at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, at field stations, and also in local watersheds and coastal embayments. Salmon, herring, and zebrafish are the focus of ongoing investigations, with the latter used primarily as an experimental model for studying specific mechanisms of developmental and physiological toxicity in fish. Current laboratory techniques include genetic manipulations of fish embryos, molecular biology and microarray technology, enzyme biochemistry, time-lapse developmental imaging, histology, scanning electron microscopy, confocal and fluorescence imaging, immunohistochemistry, neurophysiology, and three-dimensional digital analyses of fish behavior. We also conduct field investigations to monitor the health and survival of fish in polluted habitats. We work closely with other researchers in the Ecotoxicology and Environmental Fish Health Program, as well as other programs at the NWFSC. In addition, we are collaborating with investigators from regional universities and other federal agencies.

In the broad context of chemical habitat quality, our primary objective is to identify key data gaps, conduct new research, and communicate new scientific information to help NOAA Fisheries manage the conservation and recovery of wild fish species in the Pacific Northwest.