We are excited to host the meeting and continuing education this year! Please join your fish health colleagues to share your research and current projects in Tacoma, Washington in June. To help with your planning, please find additional information below.

Important Dates

Early bird registration closes: May 11^th, 2026
Late registration closes: May 26^th, 2026
Abstract submission closes: May 11^th, 2026
Lodging room block ends: May 10^th, 2026

Schedule At A Glance

Tuesday, June 2^nd (full day)
Continuing Education Workshop – 6 credit hours
Evening Social – Group Discussion of unique and interesting diagnostic case studies
Wednesday, June 3^rd (full day)
Contributed Papers (oral and poster)
Student-early career-professional mixer session during lunch
Evening Awards Banquet
Thursday, June 4^th (full day)
Contributed Papers (oral)

Full Agenda: To come

Continuing Education Summary

Hotel Murano, 1320 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma, WA, 98402 – Tuesday, June 2^nd, 2026

Pacific Northwest Perspectives on Aquatic Parasitology
The continuing education program will cover diagnostic techniques and pathology specific to aquatic parasites along with case studies showcasing parasite effects across the greater Pacific Northwest, USA. This program will include information about traditional parasite identification, histopathology of aquatic parasites; eDNA techniques specific to parasites; overview of parasite-associated mortality and morbidity in salmon; case studies of emerging parasite-associated mortality in salmon and invertebrate hosts; and an overview of shellfish parasites.

 8:30am – 09:00 am                     Fish Parasite Identification: From Macroscopic to Histology
(Michael Kent – 30 min)

9:00 am – 9:55 am                        Histopathology of Fish Parasites
(Tamsen Polley – 55 min)

9:55 am –10:05 am                                                    Coffee Break 

10:05 am – 10:35 am                   eDNA Surveillance of Aquatic Parasites
(Corbin Schuster – 30 min)

10:35 am – 11:30 am                    Impacts of Parasites; Beyond Acute Morbidity
(Michael Kent, Jayde Ferguson – 55 min)

11:35 am – 12:00 pm                   Investigating the Impacts of Misfit Parasites: Case Study Assessing Ichthyophonus-Associated Pre-Spawning Mortality of Yukon River Chinook salmon (Jayde Ferguson – 30 min)

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm                                                   Lunch

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm                        Status of the Myxozoan Parasite Ceratonova shasta in the Pacific Northwest
(Sascha Hallett – 30 min)

1:30 pm – 2:25 pm                        Insights into Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, the Causative Agent of Proliferative Kidney Disease
(Sascha Hallett, Nilanjana Das – 55 min)

2:25 pm – 2:35 pm                                                      Coffee Break

2:35 pm – 3:15 pm                        Signs and Prevention of Marine Invertebrate Parasites and Diseases
(Katherine Davis – 30 min)

3:15 pm – 3:45 pm                        Annelid Host Collection and Parasite Detection
(Julie Alexander, Stephen Atkinson – 30 min)

Michael Kent, Oregon State University, USA
Tamsen Polley, University of Wyoming, USA
Corbin Schuster, Oregon State University, USA
Jayde Ferguson, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, USA
Sascha Hallett, Oregon State University, USA
Nilanjana Das, Oregon State University, USA
Katherine Davis, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, USA
Julie Alexander, Oregon State University, USA
Stephen Atkinson, Oregon State University, USA

Meeting Venue And Room Reservations

Venue: 1320 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the closest airport to the meeting venue (22 miles), and various airport shuttle services are available.

We have reserved a block of rooms for Monday night (June 1) through Wednesday night (June 3). Occupancy may be single, double, triple or quad and all rooms, irrespective of occupancy, are at the government rate of $136 per night. The room block and rate expires on May 10, 2026. Rates are subject to a 10.4% lodging tax.

To reserve a room at the Hotel Murano please either click here or call the hotel directly at 253-238-800 and refer to WFDW and Annual FHS Meeting.

We encourage you to take advantage of our room block at the Hotel Murano. Room rates are lower than at nearby hotels and your reservation helps us to reduce the cost of hosting a meeting, and registration costs.

Have a colleague in the federal government who may need a room? Please consider offering to share a hotel room with a federal partner who might not be able to attend otherwise.

Registration

Important dates:
May 11^th,, 2026 Early bird registration closes
May 26^th, 2026 Late registration closes (swag not guaranteed with late registration)

Registration Fees:
Professional-FHS/WFDW Conference only: Early bird: $370, Late: $420
Professional-FHS/WFDW with CE session: Early bird: $515, Late: $565
CE Workshop only: $145

Regular registration (Monday evening through Thursday) provides:
– admittance to all events from Tuesday June 2nd through Thursday June 4th
– breakfast Tuesday-Thursday and, all morning and afternoon breaks,
– lunch Wednesday and Thursday,
– Case study social Tuesday evening (appetizers and drinks),
– Poster session and banquet Wednesday evening (with drinks);

The only meal not included is dinner Thursday evening – this is your opportunity to explore Tacoma with old and new friends!

Continuing Education Workshop registration (Tuesday):
Participation at the Continuing Education Workshop on Tuesday June 2nd is a separate fee of $145 per person. The cost covers breakfast, morning and afternoon breaks, lunch and CE materials.

To register please go to: FourWaves

Abstract Submission

Abstracts due: May 11^th, 2026

We encourage you to share your research and current projects by submitting an abstract. There will be two forums: general oral sessions (span Wednesday and Thursday) and general poster session (Wednesday evening before dinner). We are accepting contributions on any aquatic animal health topic.

Abstract submission is also through the FourWaves portal.

Exploring Tacoma

If you have a few minutes to explore during the week, below is a list of some Tacoma attractions, walkable from the Hotel Murano:

Tacoma Art Museum (6 min walk)
Museum of Glass/Chihuly Bridge of Glass (11 minute walk)
W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservancy/Wright Park (20 minute walk)
Keys on Main (dueling pianos) (6 min walk)
Tacoma Comedy Club (6 min walk)
If you have access to transportation, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (20 min by car) is worth a visit, too!