Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fishing-related Issues & News => Topic started by: chris gadsden on November 04, 2011, 10:01:45 AM
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The heat is on big time now.
COHEN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY | Cohen Commission issues statement about dealing with new virus reports
www.newswire.ca
Cohen Commission issues statement about dealing with new virus reportsVANCOUVER, Nov. 4, 2011 /CNW/ - Brian Wallace, senior commission counsel for the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River issued the following statement today:
"Testing of samples of Pacific salmon from two areas of the province has indicated the possible presence of the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus in several Pacific salmon. The commission has been advised that further results will be available in about one month. We have requested disclosure of documents related to these fish and the current testing.
The commission plans to convene a two-day hearing in mid-December to put new information about the possible presence of the ISA virus in BC on the commission's record. Further details, including any witnesses or exhibits for those days of hearings, will be released later."
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The heat is on big time now.
What does it mean though?
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Salmon virus suspected in B.C. again
The Canadian Press Posted: Nov 4, 2011 3:14 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 4, 2011 4:32 PM PT Read 0 comments0
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it is aware of another suspected case of a highly infectious salmon virus in B.C., but it will take weeks to verify the findings.
The agency confirmed this week that a laboratory at the University of Prince Edward Island suspects infectious salmon anemia in a coho salmon from B.C. A Department of Fisheries and Oceans lab in Moncton, N.B. is now validating the results.
Observers of the nearly two-decade-long debate between salmon farmers and their critics say if a potentially devastating European strain of the disease is confirmed, the findings could provide the "smoking gun" environmentalists have long been looking for to turn the argument in their favour.
'This is just exactly the kind of thing we did not want to have happen.'
—Fish farm critic Alexandra Morton"Presuming that [the samples being tested] are the same variant of the virus that's found elsewhere in the world, then I think that would cause serious problems to our salmon farming industry," said Peter Robson, author of the book "Salmon Farming: The Whole Story."
"It would mean that we've imported a disease from another country for the first time as far as salmon farming goes."
Public inquiry ongoing
The announcement comes at a critical time in B.C.
The Cohen Commission, which is studying what caused the collapse of the Fraser River sockeye run in 2009, began hearing final arguments Friday, but announced it would add two days of hearings next month devoted solely to the virus.
Almost two weeks ago, Rick Routledge, a Simon Fraser University fish-population statistician, announced ISA had also been found in two sockeye smolts from B.C's Central Coast, a finding federal officials are trying to verify.
According to the CFIA website, the virus can kill up to 90 per cent of infected fish, although some strains do not cause high mortality rates.
The European strain of the disease was linked to an outbreak on fish farms in Chile a few years ago, and the industry lost 70 per cent of its stocks.
But it's not clear how the disease would affect wild or farmed fish stocks in B.C.
No human risk
While the virus' causes are unknown, ISA is not a risk to human health, says the agency, which also notes a vaccine is available to prevent the disease but no treatment is available for fish already infected.
The virus found in the Harrison Lake coho, in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, was of the European strain, said a report by the Atlantic veterinary college at the University of PEI.
Routledge previously announced that the findings from the Central Coast were of the same strain that wiped out farmed salmon stocks in Chile.
Biologist and fish farm critic Alexandra Morton said she sent the Harrison Lake samples to the veterinary college after collecting dead salmon from the area on Oct. 12.
Morton said she received results of those tests this week, confirming low levels of the European virus in the heart of a coho.
"There's really no winning this for me anymore because the damage has been done," said Morton. "This is just exactly the kind of thing we did not want to have happen — an exotic virus coming in. So from here on in, it's just trying to reduce the damage."
Pathologist and microbiologist Fred Kibenge, who conducted the tests, was unavailable for comment. Instead, the university directed media questions to the food inspection agency.
The source of the disease remains unknown. Critics of salmon farms blame the industry, but the industry vigorously contests the allegations.
Mary Ellen Walling, executive director of the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association, said ISA's presence in British Columbia has not yet been confirmed and it has not appeared on member farms even though more than 5,000 samples have been tested.
Daniel Pauly, a professor and director of UBC's fisheries centre, has been watching the debate since he came to B.C. in 1994 and said a piece of the province's culture is at stake.
"What is at stake is actually wild salmon," he said. "In Europe there is almost no wild salmon left. So there is not so much of a risk. In B.C., the wild salmon are huge and iconic in the province."
Pauly said he suspects the virus has come from the industry because millions of Atlantic salmon eggs have been imported to B.C.
© The Canadian Press, 2011
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damn. either way wild fish are screwed.
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The more I read about ISA the more confused I am. It seems like it is not always fatal in other species of salmon? Is it confirmed that the coho, chum and chinook tested were killed by the virus or is it possible they died of other causes, but we're ISA carriers? This is an interesting read: http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/infectious_salmon_anemia.pdf (http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/infectious_salmon_anemia.pdf). The one commonality I find in all the info about ISA is that once it takes a foothold it can get out of control quickly :(.
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Is it confirmed that the coho, chum and chinook tested were killed by the virus or is it possible they died of other causes, but we're ISA carriers?
No, it was not confirmed the fish died from ISAV. Thanks for the link.
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The good news seems to be that the fish farms lost their appeal to have the ISAV information excluded from the Cohen commission enquiry. Because it's on the record it has to be dealt with.
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It's great news providing there is a conclusive link established between the salmon found carrying the virus and the imported Atlantic eggs. Morton et al also need to prove that ISA is as deadly for the wild stocks as the farmed ones. Overall it's bad news, but if it is dealt with proactively I'm cautiously optimist the impact on the wild stocks will be minimal, while the impact on the farms will be enough to shut them down!
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No, it was not confirmed the fish died from ISAV. Thanks for the link.
ditto.
not easy to understand at all.
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It's great news providing there is a conclusive link established between the salmon found carrying the virus and the imported Atlantic eggs. Morton et al also need to prove that ISA is as deadly for the wild stocks as the farmed ones. Overall it's bad news, but if it is dealt with proactively I'm cautiously optimist the impact on the wild stocks will be minimal, while the impact on the farms will be enough to shut them down!
In Europe they basicaly said . it's here now so we may as well continue. :)
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honestly the best thing that could happen is the US bans all atlantic salmon from entering there country as there 1 of the major markets for these franken fish anyways !!! ;D
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honestly the best thing that could happen is the US bans all atlantic salmon from entering there country as there 1 of the major markets for these franken fish anyways !!! ;D
franken fish?? please explain
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franken fish?? please explain
these fish are treated with antibiotics, fed food they wouldn't eat in the wild, pumped up with all sorts of stuff a wild fish would never see!
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these fish are treated with antibiotics, fed food they wouldn't eat in the wild, pumped up with all sorts of stuff a wild fish would never see!
Wow, sounds like any hatchery coho, chinook, pink, chum, sockeye, rainbow/steelhead or char reared in any BC, Washington, Oregon or California salmonid hatchery or “ranched” in Alaska.
My understanding of the term franken fish is some journalist's spin on genetically modified fish IE, growing faster, near disease free, basically becoming more domesticated but requiring less nutrients to reach marketable size. Makes sense to me as I suspect it does to any animal or plant farmers.
But I'm still not sure if this is that what you mean?
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these fish are treated with antibiotics, fed food they wouldn't eat in the wild, pumped up with all sorts of stuff a wild fish would never see!
Myths galore. Frankenfish implies genetically modified. Atlantic salmon on BC fish farms are not gentically modified.
Antibiotics are only used on farmed fish when required. What else are they "pumped" up with?
I hope you never have consumed a hatchery or ranched salmon or you would probably be equally grossed out...lol.
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Wow, sounds like any hatchery coho, chinook, pink, chum, sockeye, rainbow/steelhead or char reared in any BC, Washington, Oregon or California salmonid hatchery or “ranched” in Alaska.
My understanding of the term franken fish is some journalist's spin on genetically modified fish IE, growing faster, near disease free, basically becoming more domesticated but requiring less nutrients to reach marketable size. Makes sense to me as I suspect it does to any animal or plant farmers.
But I'm still not sure if this is that what you mean?
Well coho are only in the hatchery for a year, chum only for a few months and pinks are released pretty much as soon as they hatch.
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When bird flu showed up the poultry farms were closed tight and the birds culled immediately. Why is the same not happening with the fish farms?
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When bird flu showed up the poultry farms were closed tight and the birds culled immediately. Why is the same not happening with the fish farms?
Because ISA has not been found on salmon farms and it has not been confirmed found in the wild fish either but if it is, do you really want to exterminate all the wild fish?
Really?
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and also the general public will not give two schitz unless it puts their health at risk.
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Because ISA has not been found on salmon farms and it has not been confirmed found in the wild fish either but if it is, do you really want to exterminate all the wild fish?
Really?
You guys must be in permanent spin mode.
You turned his question about farm-raised chickens into a threat of killing all wild salmon.
He was talking about culling farmed fish - the source of the problem, same as with the chickens.
Funny how you guys were very quiet when the news of ISA first broke.
Then, when there was a slilver of doubt, you started pumping the junk out again.
Too bad you bet the farm on the wrong horse.
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Why would you cull farmed fish when they have repeatedly tested negative for ISAV? ???
So far no fish have been confirmed to carry ISAV, although false negatives were reported by Ms. Morton. Bet she wishes she could replay that, along with several other faux pas.
Try to keep up Easywater.
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Why would you cull farmed fish when they have repeatedly tested negative for ISAV? ???
So far no fish have been confirmed to carry ISAV, although false negatives were reported by Ms. Morton. Bet she wishes she could replay that, along with several other faux pas.
Try to keep up Easywater.
I wasn't saying that farmed fish should be culled, I was commenting on aquapaloosa's twisting of VAGAbond farmed salmon/farmed chickens comparison.
It still remains to be seen if ISA is present in Pacific salmon - testing was not conclusive.
Haven't the fish farms refused to release their own ISA testing data?
Dave, do you work for DFO?
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I wasn't saying that farmed fish should be culled, I was commenting on aquapaloosa's twisting of VAGAbond farmed salmon/farmed chickens comparison.
It still remains to be seen if ISA is present in Pacific salmon - testing was not conclusive.
Haven't the fish farms refused to release their own ISA testing data?
Dave, do you work for DFO?
I'm retired from DFO and no, I do not have money invested in salmon farms. And I should have said false positives, sorry ... bottom line is the present data suggests there is no reason to cull any fish from anywhere.
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You guys must be in permanent spin mode.
You turned his question about farm-raised chickens into a threat of killing all wild salmon.
He was talking about culling farmed fish - the source of the problem, same as with the chickens.
Funny how you guys were very quiet when the news of ISA first broke.
Then, when there was a slilver of doubt, you started pumping the junk out again.
Too bad you bet the farm on the wrong horse.
As well they did not read this.
http://salmonwarriors.blogspot.com/2011/11/salmongate.html
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As well they did not read this.
http://salmonwarriors.blogspot.com/2011/11/salmongate.html
Actually Chris I did read it, about a week ago; another poster elsewhere called it Ivan's damage control.
It's old news my friend
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Actually Chris I did read it, about a week ago; another poster elsewhere called it Ivan's damage control.
It's old news my friend
From the guy who no like hatchery fish, but do like fish farm. Really buddy this is not making any sense. :-\
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Just because Dave says there is no data to back up Morton's headline grabbing doesn't mean he is pro fish farms. Also there is nothing strange about being against hatchery steelhead and ambivalent about fish farms either.
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" people experience less discomfort even when feeling ambivalent" ::)
Also known as fence posting (or sitting). Like never moving from one spot on the river. ;D
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Some people like to reserve judgment on issues until they have enough evidence to sway them either way instead of jumping on the next available bandwagon :)
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From the guy who no like hatchery fish, but do like fish farm. Really buddy this is not making any sense. :-\
Keep thinking about it troutbreath :)
I’m an advocate for wild salmonids but understand the necessity of hatcheries. Hell, I received a nice award for my contribution to the enhancement (read hatchery component) of Cultus Lake sockeye.
I catch, kill and eat hatchery steelhead, coho and chinooks in the C-V. But not all of us have the opportunity we readers do – that is, to catch our own.
Millions of people like to eat salmon and sadly, there just is not enough wild fish to supply the world wide demand, although China, North Korea, Japan and Alaska are trying with their product called “wild caught ranched salmon”. Do a Google search and decide for yourself how wild these fish are. I think BC and its economy deserves a piece of this salmon pie.
I believe BC salmon farms, properly managed and regulated, can relieve the commercial, environmental, and climate change challenged pressure on wild stocks and perhaps be their saviour; I also firmly believe salmon farms and wild fish can coexist together.
For so many reasons BC is in an enviable position to become a worldwide leader in salmon aquaculture, research especially; what a shame it would be to lose this opportunity because a few people don't or simply won't understand this.
Don't come back with crap about other countries (Chile, Norway) losing their wild stocks to salmon aquaculture; show me some defensible data that BC has lost significant numbers of wild fish to salmon farms.
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Your just talking about your backyard and not what has clearly devastated other area's in the world. That doesn't add up to any kind of assessment in most books. So don't come back with that crap bout BC. :)