Download Tail fan necrosis in New Zealand red rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii – Technical paper

This report presents the results of a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) project looking at a small number of red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) that were either affected or unaffected by Tail Fan Necrosis (TFN).
The primary objective of this study was the use of NGS to screen for potential infectious aetiological agents of TFN. Several species of bacteria appeared to be statistically significant when examining the NGS results and comparing affected to unaffected rock lobster. However, based on a review of the literature, none of the bacterial species identified were considered likely to be a primary cause of TFN.
Additionally, catch data collected by observers were examined to generate an epidemiological picture of the distribution of TFN. Since not much data specific to occurrence of TFN exists, a data proxy was used, as discussed with members of the rock lobster industry. This data proxy was not found to sufficiently explain the epidemiology of TFN, indicating that more comprehensive and specific data needs to be collected.
Based on these results, we propose avenues for further research.