Nearly Half a Million Canadian Salmon with Infectious Virus to Be Exterminated
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.09.12
An infectious salmon anemia virus has been detected for the first time in an aquaculture site in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The virus has been detected before in the wild, according to Miranda Pryor, executive director of the province’s Aquaculture Industry Association.
The infectious salmon anemia is currently being contained to one site near Conne River, but in an interview with The Globe and Mail, Pryor said 450,000 salmon at the Gray Aqua Group will have to be destroyed.
The infectious salmon anemia virus (ISA) causes severe anemia of the infected fish, leading the fish to develop pale gills and gulp for air close to the water’s surface. Some fish do not display any symptoms at all and seem to die suddenly. Necropsies of these fish show swollen, congested or partially dead livers and spleens.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of the virus on Friday, although Pryor said an infection was suspected two weeks ago.
The CFIA said there is no worry about an effect on human health or food safety and that the disease poses no risk to other wild species like lobster, cod or herring.
This will be a heavy blow to the aquaculture industry, as was an outbreak of ISA in New Brunswick in the late 1990s. At the time, the Canadian federal government had to provide tens of millions of dollars in compensation to the industry.
Gray Aqua Group Vice President Clyde Collier said the aquaculture site has taken the finding very seriously and will co-operate fully with the CFIA to destroy and dispose of affected salmon and disinfect the entire facility.
