If I were in Pullman I would be watching snow fall, some of the first of the season. As it is, I am watching waves and, above those waves, pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds, and in those waves, migrating whales. As I consider the water, the news to share from our college becomes crystal clear.
WSU just received a $50 million federal earmark for aquatic health and resilience. It is the largest congressionally directed spending funds that WSU has ever received (thank you to Sen. Patty Murray and her amazing staff). Monies will support programs in four colleges on two campuses. And our college is a critical part of why WSU has earned such an excellent reputation in aquatic health. When I mention the strength of aquatic health at the college, friends express surprise, so let me unwrap that.
In 1994, discussions between Troutlodge and the college resulted in the implementation of the nation’s first aquatic animal health inspection service offered by a state veterinary diagnostic laboratory (Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, WADDL) and approved by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Our college laboratory guidelines for fish health inspection services were so well matched to the industry’s needs that the USDA adopted them as a benchmark for all other laboratories seeking to provide similar services. Troutlodge, in concert with the McLeary family, established the Ed McLeary Distinguished Professorship in Aquatic Animal Health in 2001, 25 years ago. The aquaculture industry in Washington state continues to rely on our testing to export products such as salmon eggs and fish. Together with state, tribal, federal, and aquaculture industry partners, WADDL works to prevent the introduction of catastrophic diseases that could devastate farmed and wild salmonid fish stocks. And that is vital to economic stability and growth in the Pacific Northwest, and our legislators have taken note.
This new program in aquatic excellence will be focused on improving the health of salmon and other aquatic animals, advancing sustainable aquaculture, and protecting aquatic ecosystems. Our part, the Aquatic Pathobiology Laboratory, will be located on the Pullman campus and will provide unique capacity for conducting research on infectious disease, pathology, and vaccinology impacting salmon and other aquatic animals. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies will be embedded in the facility to accelerate data analysis, enable real-time environmental monitoring, and support modeling for disease outbreaks and environmental stress responses. The college has many faculty and staff dedicated to aquatic animal health. And we will hire more.
Salmon, sturgeon, shellfish, and more are so much a part of the Pacific Northwest ecosystem, central to our food supply, our stories, our history, our livelihood, our connectivity to the water. I am proud that our college plays a role in protecting the health of this ecosystem. So, now you know.
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Be safe, healthy, happy, and stay hopeful. As I said on my first day on the job, the future is bright.
Take care and Go Cougs!