There is an urgent need to prepare for and manage disease outbreaks, and the intent of the marine disease outbreak contingency plan is to create a coordinated effort to document, research, and potentially mitigate future marine disease outbreaks.
The PRIMED contingency plan is focused on marine diseases, but much of it can also be used as a guideline for detecting and addressing other marine wildlife mass mortality events. ​
The contingency plan describes:
1. Ongoing monitoring of species and their habitats to oversee the disease severity
2. Collaborating with researchers on field and lab studies in order to diagnose the causative agent(s)
3. Applying this information in order to develop a mitigation and remediation plan
Photo: E. Weil
Photo: Jenn Collins
Photo: Peter Kelly