AbstractsGeography &GIS

The parasites of marine and anadromous fish occurring in Canada’s Pacific waters, their economic importance, pathological significance and host and geographical distribution have not been studied intensively. This becomes more apparent when one considers the number of species of fish inhabiting this area (245 listed in Clemens and Wilby’s “Fishes of the Pacifie Coast of Canada” 1949) and the relatively few species (thirty-one) and individuals of the species, and restricted areas which have been investigated for parasites. The only area in which fish have been subjected to parasitological studies is the Strait of Georgia. Again when the extensive investigations of parasites of fish found in European waters, in the North American Atlantic, in Japan and other localities are brought to one’s attention, it is evident that we must know little concerning the parasitic fauna of Canadian Pacific fish and the distribution of these parasites. Parasitological investigations of fish in the neighbouring United States and Alaskan Pacific no doubt contribute to our knowledge of what we might expect in the way of parasites in fish from the coastal waters of British Columbia, as most of the species of fish occurring in Canadian waters have a distribution range from Alaska to California. Studies of this nature have been more frequent in the United States than in Canada, but the parasitic fauna can still be considered as largely unknown. [...]