Mainstream Canada concerned with preliminary virus reporting

Reports that the ISA virus has been found in wild salmon in B.C. are of great concern for salmon farmers.

The lab at the Atlantic Veterinary College reportedly found evidence of Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) in two samples of Pacific sockeye smolts. The results have yet to be verified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

However, these lab test results were widely publicized before they were verified and before further tests could be done to prove whether or not they are accurate.

Dr. David Groman, section head of Aquatic Diagnostic Services at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island (PEI), where the testing lab was located, told trade publication FIS that the test results do not provide conclusive information.

"Like Dr. Groman, we believe further analysis, like genomic sequencing, is necessary for conclusive identification of the type of virus which was shown in the test results and possibly to find out when and from where it originated," said Dr. Peter McKenzie, Veterinarian and Fish Health Manager for Mainstream Canada.

"We need any decisions related to these reports to be made based on good science and thorough testing, not headlines," said Fernando Villarroel, Managing Director for Mainstream Canada. "We need the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to act quickly to verify or disprove these results and would like to assist such analyses however we can."

ISA is a big concern for salmon farmers in B.C. because they mostly grow Atlantic salmon. ISA, which is present in the Atlantic Ocean but which has also been a problem for salmon farms in Chile, has proven to cause high mortalities to farmed Atlantic salmon. However, studies have shown it does not harm Pacific salmon species, the disease poses no health risks to humans and is not a food safety concern.

Mainstream Canada produces approximately 25,000 tonnes of fresh farmed Atlantic salmon per year in sites on the coast of Vancouver Island, B.C. For more information visit the website www.mainstreamcanada.com or follow on Twitter @MainstreamCan

MORE INFORMATION

Studies have shown that while ISA can be 98 per cent fatal to Atlantic salmon, it does not appear to harm Pacific salmon: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14575369

Since 2003, nearly 5,000 samples of farmed salmon submitted to the provincial government have tested negative for ISA: http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/blog/cohen-commission-exhbit-1471-pcr-test-results-infectious-salmon-anaemia-virus-isav-bc