The Rosette Agent: Monitoring a new threat in Britain's rivers
April 11th, 2013 in Biology / Ecology  There are more than four
million anglers in the UK and the sport generates an estimated
£3.5 billion for the economy. But research by Dr Demetra Andreou
and her colleagues at Bournemouth University's Centre for
Conservation Ecology & Environmental Change has uncovered a new
threat that could put many of the native fish species UK anglers
rely on at risk.  The culprit is a single celled parasite called
Sphaerothecum destruens; also known as the Rosette Agent. Dr
Andreou's work has revealed that the parasite has the potential
to cause widespread harm to many popular species of UK ,
including salmon, bream, carp and roach. With her results
suggesting mortality levels of up to 90% in native salmon and
53% in bream, it could prove a nightmare scenario for the
angling community. If the parasite got into the UK's aquaculture
industry, the impact could be devastating.  "Here we have a
parasite that could cause massi