Aquatic Disease Risk Analysis: Applications for the Conservation and Management of Freshwater Mollusks

ABSTRACT Wildlife disease concerns are global and broad in scope and involve a wide diversity of expertise from multiple disciplines. In the realm of freshwater mollusk conservation, there is a paucity of information on pathogens of freshwater mollusks or pathogens of other species they might harbor. Consequently, it is a daunting task to manage and mitigate disease in freshwater mollusks. Disease risk analysis (DRA) is a structured, evidence-based process that aids decision making in the face of uncertainty by characterizing the potential impact of infectious and noninfectious diseases on ecosystems, wildlife, domestic animals, and people. In March 2018, as part of the 11th biennial meeting of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, a team from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine's Risk Analysis Unit and the Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG, previously the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group: http://www.cpsg.org) of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) offered a mini-workshop series; its aim was to help conservationists, animal resource managers, and industry professionals integrate science and policy to frame, characterize, and manage health risks using international standards in DRA. Participants worked through the initial stages of DRA to examine the risks of disease introduction into aquatic systems as a result of freshwater mollusk translocation. They formulated and prioritized problems in the larger effort to (1) train the community in DRA, (2) leverage funding for further work, and (3) begin communicating with policy makers in this area. Here we report the results of this working group activity and demonstrate the utility of the DRA process in addressing concerns, real and perceived, regarding the risk of diseases associated with freshwater mollusk conservation activities.