SURVEILLANCE

ACTIVE Disease Surveillance  – extensive, systematic monitoring of disease and mortality in natural populations providing critical information to understand changes in disease over time, inform resource management, and look for the  emergence of new pathogens. Atlantic Coast Examples:

• • • VIMS’ Oyster Disease Monitoring Program.
    • Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory’s Delaware Bay Oyster Bed Monitoring  Program 

PASSIVE Disease Surveillance – the shellfish samples submitted by growers and hatcheries for evaluation.  Whether in response to a die-off event, or for routine seed transfers, this provides critical perspective on disease in aquaculture populations and whether or not new pathogens may be emerging.