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Author Topic: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon  (Read 241952 times)

Matt

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #15 on: October 18, 2011, 06:14:44 PM »

another reason fish farming doesn't belong in bc. We have to fight to keep our fish wild too, farmed fish and hatchery fish with smaller gene pools are more susceptible to disease

Close confinement is the big reason for disease in farmed fish.
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IronNoggin

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #16 on: October 22, 2011, 01:02:04 PM »

"The Harper government, which on Thursday described as "inconclusive" tests showing British Columbia wild sockeye salmon have been infected with a potentially devastating virus, isn't taking the matter as seriously as top politicians in the U.S., the House of Commons was told Thursday."

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/senators+raise+alarm+over+sockeye+virus/5582994/story.html

Not at all surprised by the Minister's handling of the matter:
- "the disease has "never been found" in B.C. farmed salmon"
- his "department has tested wild salmon three times this year. All three tests were negative."
- "the positive results for the two salmon from B.C.'s Rivers Inlet... are "far from conclusive."


Basically Move along, Nothing to see here.   ::)
Let's hope that the "further tests" he alludes to aren't simply going through the motions towards a preordained, Agenda driven conclusion...

Accountability if this goes as many believe it will? Well... One can dream I suppose. Damn hard for me to imagine politicians (past & present), the least accountable Federal Ministry there is in Canada, and the Offshore Proponents EVER facing that particular brand of music. Then again, perhaps I am in error in this particular instance...  ???

More on the American Response:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/science/20salmon.html?_r=2&ref=science

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/deadly-salmon-virus-raises-concerns-us-canada-14765021

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44952384/ns/us_news-environment/t/salmon-virus-raises-concerns-us-canada/#.TqMMB7KyBpx

Nog
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IronNoggin

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #17 on: October 22, 2011, 01:02:53 PM »

U.S. Senate approved investigation and response plan for virus outbreak in British Columbia salmon

Posted by Mark Yuasa

It didn't take long for the U.S. Senate to back an investigation into the potentially deadly salmon virus that appeared in two juvenile salmon in British Columbia.

Here is a press release that came out of Senator Maria Cantwell's (D-WA) office today (Oct. 21):

During a long session that went into the early morning hours, the U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan amendment authored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that calls for an investigation and rapid response plan to prevent the spread of a potentially deadly salmon virus.
The virus, which was recently found for the first time in Pacific wild salmon, may pose a threat to the Pacific Northwest salmon fishing industry and the coastal economies that rely on it. The virus does not pose a threat to human health.

The bipartisan amendment was backed by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Begich (D-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

The amendment, introduced October 19th to the pending appropriations bill (H.R. 2112), calls on the National Aquatic Animal Health Task Force to evaluate the risk the virus could have on wild salmon off West Coast and Alaskan waters, and to develop a plan to address this emerging threat. The minibus appropriations bill - including Cantwell's accepted amendment - is scheduled for a final vote in the Senate during the week of October 31.

"We thought it was very important that this amendment pass tonight because scientists are calling it a disease emergency. That is, that the Pacific Northwest wild salmon might be threatened by a virus that has already decimated fish farm salmon from around the world," Cantwell said on the Senate floor. "We cannot risk having this impact the Pacific Northwest wild salmon."
"It's tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars as it relates to our economy. ...We need an action plan immediately and we need to make sure that we are formulating a rapid response to what to do if we do detect that this virus is spreading with the potential impact that we've seen in other areas."

Cantwell's complete remarks as delivered follow:

Madame President.
In that en bloc group of amendments was an important Amendment 893 that was sponsored by my colleagues from the Northwest, obviously myself, Senator Murray, Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein.
And we thought it was very important that this amendment pass tonight because scientists are calling it a disease emergency. That is that the Pacific Northwest wild salmon might be threatened by a virus that has already decimated fish farm salmon from around the world.

So we want to see, first of all, important scientific questions answered about the impacts of this virus and the threat that they pose to Pacific Northwest salmon.

Second, we want to make sure there is an aggressive management plan and an effective rapid response plan to deal with the threat of this virus.

And third we want to make sure that we are protecting wild salmon and the important economy that goes with it.

I know many people know the Northwest as known for a healthy salmon population but this salmon population is also an economy for us. It's tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars as it relates to our economy.
So being able to detect this virus and make sure that we are assessing the potential threat to the wild salmon population is something that we want to see happen immediately.

This makes sure that the task force, that is a joint task force already in place between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), works effectively in a very short time period to make sure that we are getting this accurate assessment.

As I mentioned this virus in the farm fish population around the world, in Chile and other places, has decimated salmon. We cannot risk having this impact the Pacific Northwest wild salmon.

So we need answers quickly from the scientific community. We need an action plan immediately. And we need to make sure that we are formulating a rapid response for what to do if we do detect this virus is spreading with the potential impact that we've seen in other areas.

So I thank my colleagues for making sure that this amendment is passed tonight. I know that Senator Murkowski had planned earlier to talk about this and I want to thank Senator Hutchinson from Texas for helping us move this along in the process.

I hope now as we move this legislation that we will also get the cooperation from NOAA and Secretary Lubchenco and others to make sure that we are responding very rapidly to this very, very serious, what people have called the scientific need, to get these questions answered as soon as possible.

I thank the President and I yield the floor.
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Bassonator

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Take the T out of Morton.

chris gadsden

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #19 on: October 26, 2011, 10:32:11 AM »

Please find enclosed a press update including:

 

"ISA virus variant detected in Aysen" (FIS, 26th October): http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&country=0&special=&monthyear=&day=&id=47090&ndb=1&df=0

 

"Industry seems to know more about the ISA virus in BC" (Alexandra Morton, 26th October): http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2011/10/industry-seems-to-know-more-about-the-isavirus-in-bc-.html

 

"'Frankenfish' concern international delegation: Genetically-modified salmon could pose health and environmental hazards, groups says" (CBC, 26th October): http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/10/25/nb-genetically-modified-salmon-campaign.html

 

"Anglesey fish farm Selonda UK admits coast pollution" (BBC News, 26th October): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-15457445

 

"All the facts in salmon issue must be revealed" (The Daily News, 26th October): http://www.canada.com/facts+salmon+issue+must+revealed/5607949/story.html

 

"Aquaculture Audio Vault" (Positive Aquaculture Awareness, 26th October): http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/radio-programs-salmon-farming

 

"ISA probe underway in British Columbia" (Fish Farming Xpert, 26th October): http://www.fishfarmingxpert.com/index.php?page_id=76&article_id=92855

 

"Frankenfoods need to be labeled" (Juneau Empire, 26th October): http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2011-10-26/my-turn-frankenfoods-need-be-labeled

 

"Group opposed to genetically modified salmon" (The Daily Gleaner, 26th October): http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1450730

 

"Now Canada joins GM salmon debate" (Fish Update, 26th October): http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/16431/Now_Canada_joins_GM_salmon_debate.html

 

"Marine Harvest's Anti- Predator Nets A Good Example" (The Fish Site, 26th October): http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/15806/marine-harvests-anti-predator-nets-a-good-example

 

"Salmon virus fears voiced, caution advised" (KSTK, 25th October): http://kstk.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=2055

 

"David Suzuki: Virus is another sign of failure to protect wild salmon" (The Straight, 25th October): http://www.straight.com/article-503366/vancouver/david-suzuki-virus-another-sign-failure-protect-wild-salmon

 

"There’s something fishy with some Canadian fish" (Chinook Observer, 25th October): http://www.chinookobserver.com/news/there-s-something-fishy-with-some-canadian-fish/article_d41409f4-ff5a-11e0-9459-001cc4c03286.html

 

"Farmed fish should be isolated" (Campbell River Mirror/Courier-Islander, 25th October): http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/132559318.html

 

"Environment Canada says job cuts will halt research on fish farming chemicals in Nova Scotia" (Responsible Aquaculture/CBC News, 25th October): http://responsibleaquaculture.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/environment-canada-says-job-cuts-will-halt-research-on-fish-farming-chemicals-in-nova-scotia/

 

"Deadly Fish Farm Virus Found in Wild Pacific Salmon: Scientists say pathogen could easily spread from Canadian to Californian salmon populations" (Santa Cruz News, 25th October): http://news.santacruz.com/2011/10/25/deadly_fish_farm_virus_found_in_wild_pacific_salmon

 

"Vets probe ISA virus issue" (Positive Aquaculture Awareness, 25th October): http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/vets-probe-isa-virus-issue

 

"Cermaq's Q3 EBIT drops, Mainstream Chile's rises" (FIS, 25th October): http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&country=0&special=&monthyear=&day=&id=47053&ndb=1&df=0

 

"Boom may loom for New Zealand aquaculture: $111 million company predicts profits doubling by 2015, in part due to new law" (Intrafish, 25th October): http://www.intrafish.com/global/news/article1259406.ece

 

"Quick Action Taken Against Salmon Anemia" (World Fishing Network, 25th October): http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/news/quick-action-taken-against-salmon-anemia-146124.aspx

 

"No ISA virus found in British Columbia" (Positive Aquaculture Awareness/Fish Farming Xpert, 24th October): http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/no-isa-virus-found-british-columbia

 

 

Listen online to a NPR radio interview: "Salmon virus fears voiced, caution advised": http://kstk.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=2055

 

Listen online to radio interviews from the BC salmon farming industry including Mary-Ellen Walling of BCSFA, Clare Backman of Marine Harvest, Grant Warkentin of Mainstream, Stewart Hawthorn of Grieg, Dr. Patrick Moore and Dr Gary Marty: http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/radio-programs-salmon-farming

 

 

The official report of ISA in British Columbia, by Dr. Fred Kibenge at the OIE Reference Laboratory at Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island, is now available online here

 

For more background on the global spread of ISA read "ISA: Diary of Disease Disaster" and "Fish Farmageddon: The Infectious Salmon Aquacalypse": http://www.wildsalmonfirst.org/fish-farmageddon-infectious-salmon-aquacalypse

 

 

Best fishes,

 

Don

 

 

Fisheries Information Service, 26th October 2011

 

Dave

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #20 on: October 27, 2011, 08:27:05 AM »

NW Fishletter #295, October 21, 2011
[1] Questions Over "Deadly" Virus In Two B.C. Sockeye Smolts

A story about researchers detecting a virus in two wild BC sockeye smolts similar to the bug that had decimated stocks at some European, eastern Canadian and Chilean salmon farms went viral itself earlier this week after the finding was announced at a press conference in Vancouver B.C. on Oct. 18.

Wild fish advocates raised the specter of a wholesale crash in natural stocks on the West Coast and called for shutting down all of B.C.'s farmed salmon industry, even though there was no hard evidence that the virus, called ISA [Infectious Salmon Anemia], came from net pens on the east side of Vancouver Island.

But two days later, the Canadian scientist who had tentatively identified the ISA virus in two samples of 48 samples of juvenile sockeye that were collected in Rivers Inlet, 100 km north of the net pens, said the whole thing was overblown.

As the story spread across the Internet, there was scarce mention that research earlier in the decade had found that wild salmonids didn't seem to suffer from ISA at all, even when injected with it.

It all began with an Oct. 17 press conference at Simon Fraser University, where Rick Routledge, a professor of statistics, announced the findings. Routledge, who is studying the decline of Rivers Inlet sockeye stocks, said in a statement that was released by the university that "ISA is a deadly, exotic disease which could have devastating impacts on wild salmon and the many species that depend on them throughout much of British Columbia and beyond."

The statement said the virus was identified as a European strain, similar to the one that caused two billion dollars in losses to the Chilean aquaculture industry a few years ago. It was thought that the virus made its way from Europe in fish eggs shipped to the farms in South America from Norway.

Routledge and biologist Alexandra Morton, a long-time foe of B.C.'s aquaculture industry, agreed that the only "plausible source" was the Atlantic salmon farms off Vancouver Island.

However, representatives of the BC farmed salmon industry said that they have been testing for the virus for years, and haven't seen a single sign of it in over 4,700 samples. But Morton argued that testing was not adequate and recent data released by the industry showed that many fish tested had symptoms that were similar to those from ISA.

The farmers issued their own statement in response. "These unconfirmed findings certainly are unexpected, unusual and warrant further investigation," said Clare Backman, sustainability director for Marine Harvest Canada.

The farmed salmon group said it was reviewing "the validity of these publicized, but as yet unconfirmed results," and noted that wild salmon weren't susceptible to ISA like the farmed Atlantic salmon. They said they were still concerned about what the discovery meant, and how the disease may have been introduced.

A few days later, Dr. Fred Kibenge, a professor of virology at Atlantic Veterinary College. Prince Edward Island, who identified the virus, told a reporter from The Seattle Weekly that his findings have been blown out of proportion. He said "people are calling me from all over the world -- newspapers, TV, it's ridiculous." Kibenge told reporter Keegan Hamilton that his findings were nothing to change the industry. "It's very unfortunate that people are spinning it this way. It's really dangerous when you put it that way."

But there still may be some question as to whether the strain of ISA found in the Rivers Inlet sockeye smolts has been properly identified.

Dr. David Groman, Section Head of Aquatic Diagnostic Services at the same veterinary college, told fis.com, a fishing industry online news source, that the findings touted by the Simon Fraser researchers were based on real-time PCR [Polymerase Chain Reaction] testing, "with no complete sequencing of the PCR products to do any strain typing of the virus," he said. In plain English, Groman was saying that no virus had been isolated.

Dr. Groman told NW Fishletter by e-mail that the sample was not large enough to completely identify the virus. He said "a shorter segment of the genome was typed and it placed positive in the European classification (this classification contains a large number of variant strains, some are pathogenic and some are not)."

He said the ISA virus is basically divided into European strains and North American strains, as are found in New Brunswick. "Due to the lack of material, the exact European strain of the virus could not be determined immediately, but the results basically indicated that this positive would eventually fall out in the European classification and not the North American one."

"So in short," said Dr. Groman, "so far we have a molecular sequence identified in two samples. NO VIRUS ISOLATED, NO CLINICAL FISH DISEASE CASE, and most importantly, NO DEAD FISH."

The lab results will have to be confirmed before any conclusions can be drawn from the initial B.C. sockeye findings. "Regarding false positives," said Dr. Groman, "all diagnostic laboratories (human and animal alike) have to worry about both false positive and false negative results from automated tests. If you run 1,000 tests you always have some of both results. That is why CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] and OIE [World Organization for Animal Health] always need confirmation using different tests and different labs on the same samples. So, we will see if these results pan out as good positives or not. Only time will tell."

But other wild fish advocates soon issued statements of their own, calling for a halt to the farming of Atlantic salmon in B.C. The Wild Fish Conservancy said it should stay shut down until more independent testing of wild, hatchery, and farmed fish can gage the size of the threat.

They recommended that Dr. James Winton of the USGS, who heads a fish health group at the agency's Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, be given oversight of this process. They also called for the establishment of an independent scientific advisory panel, with emergency funding from both the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Winton told the New York Times it is a "disease emergency" and said research should start now to determine how far the virus has spread.

On Oct. 20, the B.C. government released information regarding the controversy, prepared by Paul Kitching, the B.C. provincial veterinarian and Gary Marty, the B.C. provincial fish pathologist. They noted the two samples that tested positive were from fish that showed no clinical signs of disease. "Therefore these are positive PCR test results only; they do not confirm that the fish had ISA."

They said the CFIA will probably not report theses initial results to the OIE until at least a virus culture or evidence of disease confirms it, and the follow-up could take six weeks or more.

They also took issue with Alexandra Morton's claim that the Cohen Commission had heard that more than 1,000 cases of ISA-like lesions have been reported at BC salmon farms since 2006.

They said every one of those lesions had been tested for ISA virus "using a highly sensitive and specific PCR test," and all fish tested negative. From 2003 to 2010, 4,726 dead farm salmon were tested for the virus and tested negative for the virus.

The B.C. scientists pointed to a peer-reviewed study that found wild Pacific salmon were at low risk if ISA showed up on the West Coast. One of the study's authors was USGS scientist Winton. And they noted in 2008, when Chilean fish farms suffered an outbreak of ISA, coho salmon reared near infected Atlantic salmon, some in adjacent pens, showed no sign of ISA after three years of testing. "This provides strong evidence that coho salmon are highly resistant to ISAV, and a reasonable hypothesis is that sockeye salmon are similarly resistant."

Washington senator Maria Cantwell (D), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mark Begich (D-AK) have introduced a bipartisan amendment that calls for an investigation of the virus. In an Oct. 20 statement, Cantwell said, "We need to act now to protect the Pacific Northwest's coastal economy and jobs. There's no threat to human health, but infectious salmon anemia could pose a serious threat to Pacific Northwest wild salmon and the thousands of Washington state jobs that rely on them. We have to get a coordinated game plan in place to protect our salmon and stop the spread of this deadly virus."

On Oct. 21, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced it was collaborating with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to investigate the reports that ISA had been detected the B.C. sockeye. They said they were working with the Atlantic Veterinary College and further analysis was underway at the National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory in New Brunswick.

The agency said results should be available within weeks, and if the disease is confirmed, "the CFIA will, in consultation with partners and stakeholders, identify and take appropriate next steps." In Canada, ISA is a "federally reportable disease," said the CFIA statement, which means that all suspected cases must be immediately reported to them. -Bill Rudolph

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mykisscrazy

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #21 on: October 27, 2011, 01:58:14 PM »

Thanks for Posting this Dave.
All very informative.
It's absolutely amazing to me how much control Alexandra Morton and her Gang have on the Press
Let's see what she will Whip up next!
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chris gadsden

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #22 on: October 27, 2011, 02:28:36 PM »

Thanks for Posting this Dave.
All very informative.
It's absolutely amazing to me how much control Alexandra Morton and her Gang have on the Press
Let's see what she will Whip up next!

Please find enclosed a press update including:

 

"Contingency plan after finding ISA virus variant" (FIS, 28th October): http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=28&id=47140&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=

 

"New ISA strain in Chile is 'fiercer': Although no deaths are proven, Chilean fisheries agency asks for salmon to be slaughtered following traces of 'fiercer' ISA strain" (Intrafish, 27th October): http://www.intrafish.com/global/news/article1259574.ece

 

"GMO salmon egg sales plan alarms environmentalists: Producer hopes to sell eggs to approved fish farmers" (CBC, 27th October): http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2011/10/27/pei-gm-salmon-farmers-584.html?cmp=googleeditorspick

 

"Government must respond seriously to salmon disease" (The Straight, 27th October): http://www.straight.com/article-503976/vancouver/government-must-respond-seriously-salmon-disease

 

"Lethal virus from salmon farms seen in wild sockeye" (San Francisco Chronicle, 27th October): http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2011/10/27/MNLB1LJLHH.DTL

 

"Salmon producers face new crisis" (Views and News from Norway, 27th October): http://www.newsinenglish.no/2011/10/27/salmon-producers-face-new-crisis/

 

"Disappointed over Canada: Marine Harvest is not satisfied with the results from its Canadian farming operations" (Hegnar, 27th October): http://www.hegnar.no/bors/article663760.ece

 

"Marine Harvest Q3 profit dives: Company preparing for "challenging period," CEO says" (Intrafish, 27th October): http://www.intrafish.com/global/news/article1259644.ece

 

"Facts on salmon tests and egg imports raise concerns" (The Vancouver Sun, 27th October): http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/Facts+salmon+tests+imports+raise+concerns/5614399/story.html

 

"Activists spread word about GM salmon in New Brunswick: Canadian activists consider GM salmon is a threat to humans and to wild salmon" (FIS, 27th October): http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=27&id=47094&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target=

 

"Public Forum: Genetically Modified Atlantic Salmon — Atlantic Canada is at the center of the global controversy over GM fish" (Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network, 27th October): http://www.nlen.ca/events/event/public-forum-genetically-modified-atlantic-salmon-atlantic-canada-is-at-the-center-of-the-global-controversy-over-gm-fish/

 

"Salmon Virus in BC Sparks Fears in US: Additional testing needed, says Ottawa" (The Epoch Times, 26th October): http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/canada/salmon-virus-in-bc-sparks-fears-in-us-63350.html

 

"B.C.'s salmon feedlots need to be closed" (Alaska Dispatch, 26th October): http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/bcs-salmon-feedlots-need-be-closed

 

"DFO, industry put salmon at risk" (North Island Gazette, 26th October): http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/letters/132632218.html

 

"Wild sockeye in B.C. infected with lethal virus" (Homer News, 26th October): http://homernews.com/stories/102611/business_wsibiwl.shtml#.Tql9DLKsm1o

 

"Fish Factor: Infectious anemia kills salmon worldwide" (Capital City Weekly, 26th October): http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/102611/bus_905319954.shtml

 

"Ghost River" (Wild Salmon People, 26th October): http://wildsalmonpeople.blogspot.com/2011/10/ghost-river.html

 

"Chilean growth softens earnings drop for Cermaq: Earnings down by 20 percent as strong growth in Chile offsets sharp drop in Norway and Canada" (Intrafish, 25th October): http://www.intrafish.com/global/news/article1259420.ece

 

 

Including from Ivan Doumenc writing in The Straight today:

 

"Gary Marty, a fish pathologist with the B.C. government, reported cases of classic lesions associated with ISA over 1,000 times since 2006. Yet he never registered any of those repeated diagnoses—not a single time—as being the ISA virus itself. Why did he choose to systematically dismiss ISA, even though the symptoms he found matched the disease?  ISA was probably introduced in B.C. around 2004. We should have known about it since 2006. Yet we were kept in the dark about it. Those are heavy personal responsibilities that those people in power carry in the matter of the viral infection of our salmon. The time for denial is over. The time for running for cover is over."

 

From today's San Francisco Chronicle:

 

"The problem is you are raising salmon in pens and the sockeye are migrating past those pens, so it's very easy for them to pick up diseases from those pens," said Peter Moyle, a professor of fish biology at UC Davis. "We know it can happen. Salmon can pick up viruses in the water."...."This virus can mutate from a benign form to a particularly virulent one, and it has done this in the relatively recent past," Routledge said. "The implications could be very serious."  California does not practice fish farming the same way as British Columbia - the state's hatcheries raise fish for release into the wild - and Moyle said the California fishery does not appear to be in immediate danger. The virus could nonetheless be a death knell for the West Coast fishing industry, he said, were it to find its way into the state's signature chinook stock.  "Anytime you have a new disease that occurs, it could be devastating," Moyle said."

 

And from Marine Harvest's CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog today in Norway unveiling their latest financial results [translated via Google]:

 

"The biological situation in Canada is far from satisfactory....We will look at the entire organization, and restructure it.  We cannot continue as we do".

 

 

The official report of ISA in British Columbia, by Dr. Fred Kibenge at the OIE Reference Laboratory at Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island, is available online here

 

For more background on the global spread of ISA read "ISA: Diary of Disease Disaster" and "Fish Farmageddon: The Infectious Salmon Aquacalypse": http://www.wildsalmonfirst.org/fish-farmageddon-infectious-salmon-aquacalypse

 

 

Best fishes,

 

Don

 

Every Day

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #23 on: October 27, 2011, 04:16:59 PM »

Thanks for posting that Dave.
Guess I was totally wrong in everything I said  ::)
Wonder if all the people that bashed me will see that what I wrote is identical to what is in that report and maybe think about what was said...

Now I just need to find those research papers about ISA being very low risk to pacific salmon so that I can make a point on the "other" forum...
O and also the one about the coho right next to the farms being ISA free 3 years later would be helpful too...

Cheers,
Dan
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chris gadsden

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #24 on: October 27, 2011, 07:01:39 PM »

Thanks for posting that Dave.
Guess I was totally wrong in everything I said  ::)
Wonder if all the people that bashed me will see that what I wrote is identical to what is in that report and maybe think about what was said...

Now I just need to find those research papers about ISA being very low risk to pacific salmon so that I can make a point on the "other" forum...
O and also the one about the coho right next to the farms being ISA free 3 years later would be helpful too...

Cheers,
Dan
Bottom line, we should be looking after our wild stocks more than we do so we donot need fish farms.

So many pro fish farm people never want to mention all the problems caused to wild fish stocks in so many other countries that have fish farms. I mention this so many times but never get an answer to dispute that statement. ::)

We aslo rely too much on raising so much of our food as fast as we can at any expense, feeding them food that is detrimental to our health. :(

Every Day

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #25 on: October 27, 2011, 07:46:53 PM »

Bottom line, we should be looking after our wild stocks more than we do so we donot need fish farms.

So many pro fish farm people never want to mention all the problems caused to wild fish stocks in so many other countries that have fish farms. I mention this so many times but never get an answer to dispute that statement. ::)

We aslo rely too much on raising so much of our food as fast as we can at any expense, feeding them food that is detrimental to our health. :(

Chris, as said in another topic, I am not for fish farming, but I am not totally against it either.
Without fish farms, wild stocks may be in just as bad or even worse shape.
The demand for fish today would drive wild runs to extinction from over fishing. Therefore I believe there is indeed a time and place for fish farms.

The more I go through school the more and more I learn about fish farms and what they cause, etc.
I have got to the point where I'd like to see proof that they have caused detriment to wild stocks.
I have learnt things from teachers both pro farming and anti farming and can say both sets have no proof of any detrimental effects on wild stocks.

The only possible scenario I could see damaging wild stocks was on the East coast, where Atlantic's could actually spread diseases like ISA to wild stocks (because they are the same species out there). They could also get out and inbreed with wild stocks making stocks weaker. Out here it is a totally different story. The whole sea lice thing... the ONLY fish that sea lice have a potential to kill are pinks (because they go out as such a small size), and it is only for their first week in salt water that sea lice will actually be lethal to them.

Once again, I am not disputing the fact these fish don't belong here. I am just saying they don't belong here solely on the fact that they are not native here and humans have put a lot of things where they don't belong. I can't however say that they don't belong here due to the fact that they are hurting anything, because there is no proof of it.

Lastly, the comment of feeding them food detrimental to us....
They are fed fish meal, that is commercially harvested herring/sardines/etc, stuff that wild salmon would eat.

Cheers Chris (and I'm not trying to start an argument, schooling has just gotten me thinking).
Dan
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chris gadsden

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #26 on: October 27, 2011, 08:16:49 PM »

Not sure if you have seen this.

http://youtu.be/4QKwEsaACsk

shuswapsteve

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #27 on: October 27, 2011, 08:59:00 PM »

So many pro fish farm people never want to mention all the problems caused to wild fish stocks in so many other countries that have fish farms. I mention this so many times but never get an answer to dispute that statement. ::)

What are the other wild fish stocks that were negatively impacted by ISA in Chile?  Were wild salmon heavily impacted by ISA in Chile?  How many farmed Atlantic salmon died of ISA in Chile?  How much do we know about diseases in wild salmon (particularly Sockeye) off our coast?
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Every Day

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #28 on: October 27, 2011, 09:08:03 PM »

Chris.

That is very interesting for sure.
But I'm not sure what you would expect to find in deep water anywhere in the ocean at that depth besides some black mud  ???
Not much of the ocean has much inhabitable bottom space besides places like eel grass beds in shallow water, and sponge reefs, etc in the deep.
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BwiBwi

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #29 on: October 27, 2011, 09:11:33 PM »

Chile doesn't have wild salmon like BC does.

ISAV wiped out farmed Atlantic salmon in Chile.  After first few cases of ISAV wipe outs, it was becomes a mandate when ISAV screening comes out with  positive result.  That particular farm is required to destroy it's entire stock.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2011, 09:13:09 PM by BwiBwi »
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