South Kingstown, RI –  On December 19, 2017, University of Rhode Island graduate student researcher, Melissa Hoffman, will give a Ted Talk on a mysterious disease plaguing lobsters in southern New England.

 

Epizootic Shell Disease appeared in lobsters in Rhode Island in the mid-nineties and has contributed to a decline in the lobster population. The disease produces ugly lesions on the lobster’s shell, threatening their survival and also greatly reducing their market value. Despite how long epizootic shell disease has persisted in southern New England, scientists, fishers, and fisheries managers struggle to come up with solutions to stop outbreaks.

 

“Epizootic shell disease has no known cause and no cure. This makes it a really difficult disease to study – but fishermen want and need answers to protect their livelihood,” says Hoffman.  

 

Hoffman’s research investigates the use of a novel potential treatment for epizootic shell disease: probiotics. Hoffman describes probiotics as “the good bacteria” that could potentially give lobsters a biological advantage when fighting disease.

 

“Probiotics have been used to prevent disease in other aquacultured shellfish like oysters, shrimp, and crabs,” Hoffman explains. “Lobstermen actually came to scientists at URI asking ‘could this work for lobsters?’”

 

The Ted Talk scheduled for December will be an opportunity for URI administration and members of the public to hear about the exciting research Hoffman is working on for her master’s thesis. “After two decades of epizootic shell disease devastating the RI lobster fishery, I hope my research can shed light on new tools for treating disease and offer hope for coastal communities that depend on lobster.”