UF receives grant for spiny lobster research

The University of Florida, along with several other institutions, has been awarded a three-year USD 1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to research the PaV1 virus, a disease that has threatened the spiny lobster population.

University of Florida scientist Dr. Don Behringer and his team first discovered the PaV1 virus in 1999. They will study how the virus is spread and distributed geographically, as well as investigate how the virus is dispersed through lobster larvae.  Infected lobsters have been found from Florida to as far south as Mexico, Belize and the Virgin Islands. Researchers will also investigate how the virus is transmitted, its effects on lobsters and its impact on local disease outbreaks.

“This project will give us insight into how pathogens are spread in the marine environment,” said Behringer. “Anything we can do to understand how the disease spreads, and how we might limit its spread, has implications for management of the disease.”

The spiny lobster harvest has declined approximately 30 percent since the 2000-2001 season. Florida, which produces more than 90 percent of the nation’s spiny lobster, harvested about 3.46 million pounds in 2008, down from 3.76 million pounds in 2007.

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