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Author Topic: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon  (Read 241934 times)

Novabonker

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Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« on: October 17, 2011, 02:30:30 PM »

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/17/bc-isa-infects-salmon.html


Experts say a highly infectious virus found in wild salmon on B.C.'s central coast could have a devastating impact on the province's wild salmon and herring.

Simon Fraser University Prof. Rick Routledge discovered the disease known as Infectious Salmon Anemia, or ISA, in two of 48 sockeye smolts collected.

The infection was diagnosed by Dr. Fred Kibenge, an employee at the Atlantic Veterinary College in P.E.I., who notified the CFIA.

Routledge, who's doing a long-term study on the collapse of Rivers Inlet sockeye, says the exotic disease could have a devastating impact on wild salmon in B.C.

Alexandra Morton, a biologist and long-time critic of salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago, says the European strain of the virus could only have come from the farmed Atlantic salmon in the area.

Routledge says the possible impact of the virus can't be taken lightly and there must be an immediate response to assess the extent of the outbreak and the possible source.

A statement issued by the B.C. Salmon Farmers said the CFIA has yet to confirm the finding, but the disease would not likely affect wild Pacific salmon stocks like it affects Atlantic salmon, which are raised on West Coast salmon farms

"Farm-raised Atlantic salmon, unlike their Pacific cousins, are susceptible to ISA, so this is a concern for our operations, but much less likely to be an issue for the different Pacific species," said Stewart Hawthorn, managing director for Grieg Seafood in a statement released on Monday.

"If these results are valid, this could be a threat to our business and the communities that rely on our productive industry."
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Bavarian Raven

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2011, 06:33:14 PM »

i was just going to post this ::)
you beat me 2 it  >:(
eitherway, interesting article :)
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fic

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2011, 08:03:33 PM »

My wife just watched the news on TV and said our son is not allowed to consume the salmon I catch anymore.  Is this over reaction? ???
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Athezone

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2011, 08:44:52 PM »

Hey fic I'll take any salmon your family can't eat. One can't be too careful these days and I'd only be to happy to take the risk if it will spare your family any agony cus' I know your'e a Great guy. My number's 603-000-2200 and just say, is Athezone there so I know it's you.
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Novabonker

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2011, 06:41:30 AM »

Go to the CKNW audio vault around 4ish yesterday and  listen to the interview.


And the esteemed Mr. Gadsen ALWAYS beats anyone to it.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2011, 06:43:17 AM by Novabonker »
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dennisK

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2011, 06:56:57 AM »

My wife just watched the news on TV and said our son is not allowed to consume the salmon I catch anymore.  Is this over reaction? ???

Only if your son is a herring or a wild salmon.

Did you read the article. Here, the bold may help.

"Experts say a highly infectious virus found in wild salmon on B.C.'s central coast could have a devastating impact on the province's wild salmon and herring."
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fic

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2011, 07:48:08 AM »

Only if your son is a herring or a wild salmon.

Did you read the article. Here, the bold may help.

"Experts say a highly infectious virus found in wild salmon on B.C.'s central coast could have a devastating impact on the province's wild salmon and herring."
I guess she's making the comparison of how SARS got started. Looks like I'll be the only one eating that frozen salmon in the freezer.
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BwiBwi

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2011, 02:08:36 PM »

Your wife's over reacting.  ISAV has been around since 1900.
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StillAqua

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2011, 02:11:10 PM »

I guess she's making the comparison of how SARS got started. Looks like I'll be the only one eating that frozen salmon in the freezer.

It's harmless to humans because it's a fish virus. Infects fish through the gills, not the stomach which likely destroys the virus
http://www.int-res.com/articles/dao/26/d026p025.pdf
If it's any comfort, every teaspoon of fresh drinking water has about a billion viruses in it, but they don't affect humans because they are adapted to infecting bacteria. Same thing with the ISA virus. SARS was a mammal virus in bats so the leap to humans wasn't very far. So unless your son has gills and is a really, really good swimmer.....
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chris gadsden

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2011, 02:28:07 PM »

http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/theprogress/news/132061188.html

 One thing I sent it to Alex's group not DFO that the article said i did. I also put the fish on my license to prevent any problems having it in my possesion, Not sure the legalities of this, I am sure someone will find fault but when gets to my age I donot worry especially when it comes to trying to help save salmon for you younger people, long after I have made my last cast. :-X

Matt

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2011, 02:49:42 PM »

A european strain of a lethal salmon virus that was overwhelmingly present in Chile's atlantic salmon farms and never seen in the North Pacific, now shows up in wild BC salmon.  Weird.

From the Vancouver Sun:

Wild sockeye salmon from B.C.'s Rivers Inlet have tested positive for a potentially devastating virus that has never been found before in the North Pacific.

Infectious salmon anemia is a flu-like virus affecting Atlantic salmon that spreads very quickly and mutates easily, according to Simon Fraser University fisheries statistician Rick Routledge.

ISA can be fatal to Atlantic salmon, especially those confined in fish farms. Its effect on wild sockeye is unknown.

The virus detected in sockeye smolts by the Atlantic Veterinary College in P.E.I. — Canada's ISA reference lab — is the European strain of ISA, the same virus that devastated fish farms in Chile four years ago.

"It is described as highly contagious and lethal," said Routledge, who had underweight Pacific sockeye sent for testing at the suggestion of B.C. salmon biologist Alexandra Morton.

Of the 48 fish sent for testing, two were found to have the virus.

Morton had raised concerns about the possible presence of the virus in B.C. after seeing Ministry of Agriculture and Lands disease reports describing "classic" ISA-like lesions in farmed salmon. An investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found no risk of ISA at the sites identified by Morton, who dismissed the inquiry as "little more than a phone call."

More than 4,700 tissue tests for ISA were conducted on B.C. farmed salmon over the past eight years and every one has come back negative, according to Ian Roberts, a spokesman for B.C.'s largest salmon farming company, Marine Harvest. Another 65 tests conducted in the past quarter were also negative.

"As far as we know [Marine Harvest] is clean of this disease and we want to keep it that way," said company environmental officer Clare Backman. "Just because it is present in these Pacific salmon doesn't mean it's a health issue ... Pacific salmon are not as affected by ISA as Atlantic salmon."

ISA has been found in wild Atlantic salmon in Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy, a fish population that is depressed and on the verge of extinction, Routledge said.

"There is really no information on the impact it could have on Pacific sockeye salmon, which is where we found it," he said.

Like the flu in humans, ISA can exist in a relatively benign form and then mutate into a more deadly version of itself, Routledge said.

The juvenile fish that tested positive were migrating down Rivers Inlet, a sport fishing destination 100 km north of Vancouver Island, from Owikeno Lake. The smolts likely contracted the disease from adult spawners returning to the lake or from their parents, Routledge opined.

"That means the virus has been around for several years," he said. "The only plausible source of this virus is fish farms."

DNA testing on the virus could help determine its source, he said.

B.C.'s aquaculture industry has imported more than 30 million Atlantic salmon eggs over the past 25 years, mainly from Iceland, the United States and Ireland, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

ISA is usually found in Atlantic salmon, though it can also infect herring. The virus devastated fish farms in Chile in 2007 and 2008, killing millions of fish and resulting in the closure of both fish farms and processing plants. Fish farms in Scotland and Norway have also suffered lethal outbreaks, according to Morton.

"The New York Times reported from Chile that the Chilean aquaculture industry suffered more than $2 billion in losses," Morton said. An investigation by scientists from the University of Bergen concluded that Atlantic salmon eggs imported to Chile from Norway were likely the source of the virus.

Suspected cases of ISA must be reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under new regulations introduced in January 2011. Confirmed cases must be reported to the World Organisation of Animal Health.

The CFIA is investigating the P.E.I. lab's positive test results, but has not yet confirmed the diagnosis of ISA.



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Wild+salmon+test+positive+lethal+virus+linked+fish+farms/5562482/story.html#ixzz1bAkyoRSK
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kaolinite

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2011, 02:56:35 PM »

and so it begins
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bigblockfox

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2011, 03:07:34 PM »

sad, i hope there is still fishing oppertunities for my children one day. :'(
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ChumChaser

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2011, 04:39:34 PM »

Scary stuff, we are play with fire having fish farms up and down our coast. Hope this doesn't turn into a major disaster and reek havoc on our already stressed salmon populations.
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awurban@msn.com

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Re: Lethal virus from European salmon found in wild BC salmon
« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2011, 05:25:46 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
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