Title: Impacts of Multispecies Parasitism on Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in

Diseases caused by parasites are recognized as significant sources of mortality in wild fish populations. I assessed the impacts of multispecies parasitism on a threatened stock of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). A crucial prerequisite to this research was proper identification of parasites, which can be difficult for species lacking distinct morphological features. Such was the case when I attempted to identify larval Apophallus sp. (Digenea) and a myxozoan infecting peripheral nerves, which I described as Myxobolus fryeri. The second essential step was to document the geographic distribution of infections in Oregon coastal juvenile coho salmon. I found 21 different parasite species in underyearlings and smolts from 10 different rivers. Some parasites, such as Apophallus sp., were more common in underyearlings than smolts and had a more restricted geographic distribution. Additionally, I empirically compared histology to the evaluation of wet preparations for parasite detection. The latter was more sensitive, but the former provided data on tissue level impacts. I then focused my research on parasitized coho salmon from one river, the West Fork Smith River (WFSR). The lower abundance of some parasites i