1 Stimmelmayr ALASKA UME Onsite Coordinator US-CAN, 2012 The 2011 Alaska Northern Pinniped Unusual Mortality Event: A case study for Cross-Border Disease

1Stimmelmayr ALASKA UME Onsite Coordinator US-CAN, 2012

The 2011 Alaska Northern Pinniped Unusual Mortality Event: A case study for Cross-Border Disease Surveillance

and Baseline Marine Mammal Health Research

R. Stimmelmayr1, S. Raverty2, T. Rowles3, J. Garlich-Miller4

1North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, Barrow, USA; 2WGMMUME Animal Health Center, British Columbia MAFF, Abbotsford, Canada; 3National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, 4 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Marine Mammals Management,

Anchorage, AK 99503, USA AlaskaEmail: [email protected]

Stimmelmayr ALASKA UME Onsite Coordinator US-CAN, 2012

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The “New” Arctic

• Arctic marine food webs are under immense pressure • climate change • global pollution • gas-oil exploration and production• commercial fisheries and shipping

• Complex spatial-temporal shifts in ecology and subsequently epidemiological constraints. The ecosystem is changing.

• Altered disease dynamics, and new hosts are a likely result.• Continuing trend until “new “ Equilibriums are reached • Expansion of infectious disease investigations and wildlife health biomedical

baseline studies, concurrent to already established ecological/biological research, and subsistence foods contaminant-monitoring programs are therefore needed.


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Ulcerative Dermatitis Disease Syndrome

• In 2011 (summer/fall) a “new” ulcerative dermatitis disease syndrome of unknown etiology was observed in ice seals in Northern Alaska.


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Ulcerative Dermatitis Disease Syndrome• Ringed seals were primarily affected, but the

disease was observed in spotted, bearded, and ribbon seals, but differences exist in clinical presentation.

• A similar skin condition has been observed in Pacific walruses at a haul-out in Alaska (Point Lay) and one in Chukotka, Russia.

Ringed seal Range


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Arctic KEY SPECIES • Ice seals and Pacific walruses are key species within the Arctic

and essential subsistence resources for Native communities throughout the Arctic.

• Food safety and security are integral components of this emerging Arctic marine mammal disease.


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Ulcerative Dermatitis Disease Syndrome

• The disease is characterized by a variety of skin lesions (ulcers/erosion) with body site specific distribution (eyes; snout; hind flippers; tail, trunk) for ice seals and a more generalized distribution for Pacific walruses.


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• Cohorts: All age groups and both sexes were affected. • Morbidity and mortality: disease burden and rates are

unknown. NOTE: animals appear to be able to recover but more data needed

• Zoonotic Risk: No apparent animal-human transmission

Many Factsunknown


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What Do We Know ? Ulcerative Dermatitis Disease Syndrome

• Etiology and Epidemiology: Ulcerative dermatitis is an emerging disease of unknown etiology in ice seals, not observed prior to 2011.

• Geographic Range: Reports of a similar condition in ringed seals have come from Chukotka (Russia), NWT Canada, and northern Japan.

• Timing: The majority of cases were observed during the ice free period (June - October).


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The ongoing disease investigation is a process of elimination of factors


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Current State of Knowledge

• No evidence that common viruses (e.g., seal pox, herpes, calici virus etc.) or avian influenza virus are involved.

• Possibly “new” viruses involved? Analyses are still pending.

• No single bacterium (or assemblages) have emerged consistently as being the primarily responsible candidate (s).


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Current State of Knowledge• Algae toxins (domoic acid and saxotoxin) have been at very

low levels or below detection level.

• Cyanotoxin testing for microcystins and nodularin from green blue algae blooms is being explored.

• Contaminants testing is near completion and results of levels of organic chemicals and radionuclides (cesium 134/137 from the Fukushima nuclear accident) are currently being reviewed.

• Also testing of levels of thyroid and cortisol (stress) hormones and vitamins (A, B, E). Both hormones and these vitamins are important regulators in the seasonal molting process of ice seals and in maintaining normal skin barrier function.


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Current State of Knowledge

• Ecosystem investigations: working with many oceanographers to compile ocean data, ice seal and walrus food resources from 2011 and 2012 for the affected regions to compare it with previous years.

• Available data does suggest that 2011 was more or less typical of the “new” Arctic normal, with continued retreating sea ice, warmer ocean waters, ice algae blooms, jellyfish abundance, and more unpredictable weather patterns.


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Single or Multi year Disease Event?

• Spring seal harvests mostly indicated healthy and normal seals,

• Low numbers of stranding events on the North Slope from both beach surveys, and aerial surveys (USCG and ADF&G)

• No new reports from Chukotka, NWT, Japan • The disease event may have come to an end as we have no

evidence of new cases. • Final conclusion needs additional monitoring during the fall

and early winter. • Hunters and community members need to remain vigilant and

continue to report “sick” or abnormal seal and walrus sightings.


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“EYE of the Beholder”ALASKA UME : Opportunities, Challenges, Constraints

• Marine Mammals and Communities: – Multiple species; (USFWS/NOAA) – ESA listing pending for Ice seals and

walrus; – Trans-boundary movement (Russia;

Alaska, Canada, Japan )– Mixed marine based Subsistence

economy & Food Sharing – Arctic Logistics –infrastructure –climate

dynamics etc– Hunter/community based disease

surveillance system in place– Co-management approach to UME

investigation– Integration and Application of

Traditional ecological knowledge & Hunter Expertise

– Collaboration – tribal-state-federal-provinces- international


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Building an Arctic Marine Mammal Health Alert and Response Team

• Trans-boundary collaboration on marine mammal health assessment

• Identify and fill ecological-physiological-health knowledge gaps of Ice seals and walruses

• Co-management approach • Strengthen and Integrate Hunter-based

health surveillance and TEK in health monitoring efforts

• Sharing of Data, Results, and Vision for a future with sustainable subsistence

• Maintain Arctic Communities ability to engage in subsistence activities to provide safe, sufficient and nutritious native foods.

Documents

1 Stimmelmayr ALASKA UME Onsite Coordinator US-CAN, 2012 The 2011 Alaska Northern Pinniped Unusual Mortality Event: A case study for Cross-Border Disease