BC Agriculture Threatens to shut down sportsfishing in BC

[FishBC.org]

Next response from Mr Gary.

Having a bit of an issue posting the third and final email for a moment. It's saying it needs to be at least 10 characters long, but it's much more than that, and perhaps the most important email of the three.

 

[FishBC.org]

I admire your wiliness to learn more. I am currently examining wild juvenile salmon captured as part of the BAMP program in the Broughton Archipelago (see http://bamp.ca/pages/home.html). The Animal Health Centre is interested in ensuring healthy animals in BC, including wild salmon. I need to spend most of my time in the laboratory, so I depend on observations by people like you who are out in the field. Sampling tissues for histopathology is probably the best way to get an idea of what is going on in the fish you described. If you are in Campbell River, I recommend that you contact Dr. Sonja Saksida at the Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (http://www.cahs-bc.ca/) for assistance in tissue preservation and shipping. Your cost is the same as what we charge the fish farms: $30/fish for diagnostic histopathology.



Dr. Saksida and I are coauthors on a paper that came out last week that identifies liver cell abnormalities as a possible cause of the lowest pink salmon runs on record in the Broughton Archipelago (in 2008).



I am working with DFO to get a second fish pathologist in BC. I keep too busy assisting the fish farms with diagnosing disease and certifying fish as disease-free (with ~40 million fish, a few a bound to be sick; but, surprisingly to many people, most of the farm fish are very healthy), so I do not have the time I need to work on wild fish projects. Any assistance you can provide would help.



Best regards,



Gary







Saksida, S.M., G.D. Marty, S. St-Hilaire, S.R.M. Jones, H.A. Manchester, C.L. Diamond, and J. Bidulka. 2012. Parasites and hepatic lesions among pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum), during early seawater residence. Journal of Fish Diseases 35:137-151.

 

[FishBC.org]

So. In a nutshell, Marty Gary, and Kristi Miller, are doing a new study and co examining each other's findings in an attempt to get to the bottom of all of this.
All we can do is wait for results, and help them by submitting any abnormal tissue samples that we find.

Dr. Miller’s research so far suggests the presence of an ISAV-like virus that is different enough from European strains of ISAV that we can be confident that it was not imported (with either farm fish since the 1980s or stocking attempts before that). However, Dr. Miller still has lots of work to do to confirm her findings.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Good on you FishBC.org for taking the time and trouble to begin to carefully sort through all the info and data out there to try to get to the truth of this very important issue. More power to you!

 

[FishBC.org]

I think the key here is to help with the sampling and samples. The farms keep the pathologists beyond busy to really get the samples they need, so we in turn can help.
I think it would be beneficial for us to help by collecting samples of all five species.
I will find out how to make sure that our samples are clean, not compromised, and good for testings and report back.

Both parties on each end use two different testing methods, and both know that something is happening to the fish, but neither can agree on what that is, due to different results.
Maybe we can help them all clear this up and figure it out?

 

[tincan]

Appreciate the posts Fish BC. Very informative. For us on the mainland (Vancouver) do you know of a labs that we could send samples to if we catch anything that looks suspicious? Thanks and like many on this form I'm following these stories closely and ready to act when needed.

 

[FishBC.org]

I'll get the info tincan. From what I understand one lab could possibly be in Abby, but I will need to confirm this is a drop off location.

 

[tincan]

awesome. thanks a lot. I'm planning on getting the rods in the water again for 2012 pretty soon and I know my other Van based fishing buddies would like to know of a lab on this side in case they find something. Is there a inspection technique that you or anyone else can recommend? Things to look for? red flags? I'll look into it myself but if anyone has some suggestions I'd appreciate. cheers

 

[seadawg]

I just want to say thanks to you dot org. I for one and undoubtedly many others are extremely appreciative of your efforts.

 

[GLG]

Copied from another thread on the subject of isav in coho that Dr Marty asked if there is evidence of this virus affecting wild salmon. .ORG could you pass this along to him and ask him to comment on this paper? Oh and thanks for your effort to help protect our wild fish..... GLG

"We continue to urge the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to complete and release results of their testing as soon as possible. Our farmers could be negatively affected if this virus is here - as research shows that Atlantic salmon are highly susceptible to the disease while Pacific salmon are relatively immune to it."
http://www.salmonfarmers.org/more-re...t-isa-findings


BC Fish feedlots are saying that ISAv does not affect Coho. Perhaps they should read this paper and take a good look in the mirror to see what they have done to my ocean.

Isolation and identification of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) from Coho salmon in Chile


Frederick S. B. Kibenge[SUP]1,[/SUP]*, Oscar N. Gárate[SUP]2[/SUP], Gerald Johnson[SUP]1[/SUP], Roxana Arriagada[SUP]4[/SUP], Molly J. T. Kibenge[SUP]2[/SUP], Dorota Wadowska[SUP]3[/SUP]


[SUP]1[/SUP]Department of Pathology and Microbiology,
[SUP]2[/SUP]AVC Inc., and
[SUP]3[/SUP]EM Laboratory, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave., Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 4P3, Canada
[SUP]4[/SUP]Aquatic Health Chile Ltda, Benavente 952, Puerto Montt, Chile
*E-mail: kibenge@upei.ca
ABSTRACT: The isolation of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) from asymptomatic wild fish species including wild salmon, sea trout and eel established that wild fish can be a reservoir of ISAV for farmed Atlantic salmon. This report characterizes the biological properties of ISAV isolated from a disease outbreak in farmed Coho salmon in Chile and compares it with ISAV isolated from farmed Atlantic salmon in Canada and Europe. The virus that was isolated from Coho salmon tissues was initially detected with ISAV-specific RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction). The ability of the virus to grow in cell culture was poor, as cytopathology was not always conspicuous and isolation required passage in the presence of trypsin. Virus replication in cell culture was detected by RT-PCR and IFAT (indirect fluorescent antibody test), and the virus morphology was confirmed by positive staining electron microscopy. Further analysis of the Chilean virus revealed similarities to Canadian ISAV isolates in their ability to grow in the CHSE-214 cell line and in viral protein profile. Sequence analysis of genome segment 2, which encodes the viral RNA polymerase PB1, and segment 8, which encodes the nonstructural proteins NS1 and NS2, showed the Chilean virus to be very similar to Canadian strains of ISAV. This high sequence similarity of ISAV strains of geographically distinct origins illustrates the highly conserved nature of ISAV proteins PB1, NS1 and NS2 of ISAV. It is noteworthy that ISAV was associated with disease outbreaks in farmed Coho salmon in Chile without corresponding clinical disease in farmed Atlantic salmon. This outbreak, which produced high mortality in Coho salmon due to ISAV, is unique and may represent the introduction of the virus to a native wild fish population or a new strain of ISAV.

http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/dao/v45/n1/p9-18/
full text in PDF format
http://www.int-res.com/articles/dao/45/d045p009.pdf

GLG
as hell.

 

[FishBC.org]

Dr Marty has been following this thread but I'll fire him an email Monday with the questions and to get some mainland drop off locations.
I think that this year everyone wants to know what diseases are present, what is causing, and how to stop it.

 

[Charlie]

I am working with DFO to get a second fish pathologist in BC. I keep too busy assisting the fish farms with diagnosing disease and certifying fish as disease-free (with ~40 million fish, a few a bound to be sick; but, surprisingly to many people, most of the farm fish are very healthy), so I do not have the time I need to work on wild fish projects. Any assistance you can provide would help.



Best regards,



Gary

I think that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t? May I suggest rather one spending all that time “assisting the fish farms” in “certifying fish as disease-free” that one simply start providing correct, accurate, and unbiased information? I personally would like to see any British Columbia "unbiased" scientific studies, especially on the thing DFO calls “Salmon Leukemia” It seems that is nothing more than a mutated ISA. Would Dr. Gary Marty like to address his research work on any of the diseases he has found in those "fish farms" including SL and and provide any of "his" research in the salmon farming diseases?

ISAv will NEVER be confirmed in Canada, until their testing procedures change, or until it is so wide spread that it wipes out enough salmon Canada can no longer deny!!! ISA is an influenza, meaning influenza weakens the immune system and fish die. They die of other diseases (e.g. BKD). Dr. Miller’s studies have indicated this, meaning the European strain of ISA, imported by the Norwegian fish farming industry itself is not causing mortalities; however, ISA (notice the "v" is missing) is weakening the immune system and the end result is fish die. Would Dr. Marty mind showing "his" or any British Columbia study proving this is not true?

I am all for the taking and providing samples. Personally, I would stick to individuals like Dr. Miller and Dr. Morton for guidance there? You know someone who won't show bias in their published papers, in favor of "fish farms"?

FYI... IMHO, I find it very difficult to believe Dr. Kristi Miller, (who the fish farms won't allow any testing) will be co-authoring anything with Dr. Gary Marty (who is the only one fish farms allow to test their fish). Btw... Dr. Gary Miller is nothing more - nothing less than the "provincial fish farm vet". IMHO, there seems to be one interested and believes in finding and sharing truth, while the other may be more interested in “assisting the fish farms” in “certifying fish as disease-free,” keeping a job, doing exactly as instructed. You can figure which is which yourself; as for me, personally... It will be a "cold day in hell" before "I" provide information (or anything else) to the "provincial fish farm vet", who does nothing other than test fish for the fish farms. I highly suggest one - Read those Cohen transcripts a little closer!

I do have to ask the same question as this individual:
Alexandra Morton And why won't the salmon farmers let anyone other than provincial fish farm vet Dr. Marty test Atlantic farm salmon for ISA?

 

[FishBC.org]

I think that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t? May I suggest rather one spending all that time “assisting the fish farms” in “certifying fish as disease-free” that one simply start providing correct, accurate, and unbiased information? I personally would like to see any British Columbia "unbiased" scientific studies, especially on the thing DFO calls “Salmon Leukemia” It seems that is nothing more than a mutated ISA. Would Dr. Gary Marty like to address his research work on any of the diseases he has found in those "fish farms" including SL and and provide any of "his" research in the salmon farming diseases?

ISAv will NEVER be confirmed in Canada, until their testing procedures change, or until it is so wide spread that it wipes out enough salmon Canada can no longer deny!!! ISA is an influenza, meaning influenza weakens the immune system and fish die. They die of other diseases (e.g. BKD). Dr. Miller’s studies have indicated this, meaning the European strain of ISA, imported by the Norwegian fish farming industry itself is not causing mortalities; however, ISA (notice the "v" is missing) is weakening the immune system and the end result is fish die. Would Dr. Marty mind showing "his" or any British Columbia study proving this is not true?

I am all for the taking and providing samples. Personally, I would stick to individuals like Dr. Miller and Dr. Morton for guidance there? You know someone who won't show bias in their published papers, in favor of "fish farms"?

FYI... IMHO, I find it very difficult to believe Dr. Kristi Miller, (who the fish farms won't allow any testing) will be co-authoring anything with Dr. Gary Marty (who is the only one fish farms allow to test their fish). Btw... Dr. Gary Miller is nothing more - nothing less than the "provincial fish farm vet". IMHO, there seems to be one interested and believes in finding and sharing truth, while the other may be more interested in “assisting the fish farms” in “certifying fish as disease-free,” keeping a job, doing exactly as instructed. You can figure which is which yourself; as for me, personally... It will be a "cold day in hell" before "I" provide information (or anything else) to the "provincial fish farm vet", who does nothing other than test fish for the fish farms. I highly suggest one - Read those Cohen transcripts a little closer!

I do have to ask the same question as this individual:
Alexandra Morton And why won't the salmon farmers let anyone other than provincial fish farm vet Dr. Marty test Atlantic farm salmon for ISA?

The same samples from each numbered fish with also be sent to Dr Morton because Dr Gary Marty, and Dr Alexanda Morton use two different testing methods it is imperative, that they each get a clean sample from the exact same fish. So each sample I provide the province, will also be provided to Dr Morton, so everything is up and above the board and so there is no discrepancy on the fish received.
This gives them all the same opportunity to test the same fishes, rather than testing random various degraded samples from different runs of fish.
I am aware the two mentioned individuals although disagree on certain things, both have a keen awe for the other party at the same time, as expressed in emails from both. A certain respect.
I am hoping by providing each with the same samples that they will be able to cross compare, and avoid much of the confusion with the testing this year. The results of this study need to be clear and concise. The future of our salmon depends on that. I have the sample kit on it's way from Dr Morton and for Dr Gary, I need only to run the samples to CR, so all samples will be fresh and non degraded for each lab testing process.
This should take a great number of questions, and problems out of the equation.
I believe Dr Miller and Dr Marty are doing a co study and analyzing each other's results, so the Province, DFO, and Dr Morton will all have the samples from the same fishes this time around. It will cost me 30.00 for each fish that goes to Dr Marty / Kristi Miller, and I do not have alot of money right now, so if anyone would like to donate to that please let me know. If no one does I will find a way to take it from my own pocket because this is very important to all of us.

 

[profisher]

I find it laughable. To think they would shut down the natives. The government doesn't even have the balls to ask them to take a little less so that some fish can spawn. I would have said, I agree lets shut everyone down. Now you go talk to the natives about that while I have a beer and watch.

 

[Charlie]

Might want to re-think spending money to send samples to Dr. Gary Marty? Also, note how Ian Roberts is trying to spin the ISAv on sport fishing? I knew that was coming!


The Cohen Commission: Following traces
By Ray Grigg, Special to Courier-IslanderJanuary 27, 2012

The mystery of the disappearing wild salmon may be closer to being solved due to the reconvened Cohen Commission and the extraordinary three days of hearings held in December, 2011. As earlier testimony revealed, many environmental factors affect the survival of wild salmon.

Evidence now confirms that government policy supports the salmon farming industry, and that the industry has been willing to exploit this advantage to win regulatory concessions for its economic gain - in the words of one Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) official, the industry seemed "to dictate" policy. These concessions may have involved relaxed importation, inspection and quarantine of Atlantic salmon eggs, and inadequate supervision of fish health.

Summary statements written by Gregory McDade and Lisa Glowaki, two of the lawyers representing Dr. Alexandra Morton at the inquiry, describe how DFO failed to pursue evidence suggesting that ISAv might be in wild salmon, despite an independent 2004 test that suggested all Cultus Lake sockeye were infected. "Instead it buried the results completely for seven years," notes the summary, and "decided to not test any further wild salmon. This reaction is not consistent with the scientific method or a precautionary approach - rather it shows action of a political nature - denial and suppression of an inconvenient fact. In legal terms, it is known as willful blindness, also characterized in some circumstances as gross negligence." This opinion is reinforced by DFO's failure to submit any ISAv documentation to the Commission.

McDade and Glowaki suggest that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) was also implicated in this scheme of "willful blindness." It had no interest in the well-being of wild salmon per se; its mandate was to monitor diseases and promote the economic value of food products. Fish diseases were inconveniences that complicated this commercial objective.

ISAv was a reportable infection that would have alerted trade partners and the international community to risk, thereby incurring trade damage.

"Safe trade" is the subject of testimony given by Dr. Kim Klotins, a senior CFIA official, to Krista Robertson, a lawyer acting for First Nations:

Robertson: "But is it also part of the mandate of the CFIA to ensure that... trade interests of Canadian companies or companies operating in Canada such as Norwegian fish farm companies, are not harmed by any kind of finding or allegation of disease?"

Dr. Klotins: "So if, let's say, we do find ISA in B.C. and all of a sudden markets are closed, our role [CFIA] is then to try to renegotiate or negotiate market access to those countries. Now what it will be is a matter of they'll let us know what the requirements are. We'll let them know what we can do and whether we can meet that market access. If we can't meet it, then there will be no trade basically."

In other words, the discovery of ISAv in BC wild or farmed salmon could be an economic disaster that could even end trade in fish products. The CFIA didn't want to find ISAv, and the evidence suggests it took active measures to confiscate fish samples that may have indicated ISAv was here. DFO - which supported the salmon farming industry - didn't want to find ISAv either, and took active measures to hide findings and suppress research that may have exposed it. And the salmon farming industry certainly didn't want to discover ISAv in its brood stock or net-pens - such a discovery would have had devastating environmental, market and public relations ramifications.

So, why did salmon farmers not find ISAv in their testing of more than 4,700 samples of farmed fish? The sole veterinarian testing their fish was Dr. Gary Marty, who noted more than 1,100 instances of lesions that were commensurate with ISAv, but he always recorded negative results for the viral infection. The industry, therefore, could confidently announce, as it frequently did, "that the ISA virus has never been found in British Columbia" (Times-Colonist, Dec. 16/11).

McDade and Glowaki explain this puzzle. First, not all ISAv strains are lethal so salmon farms might not notice high mortality. Like an influenza, it can exist as a low level infection that only becomes virulent when it mutates - particularly in high population densities at fish farms and hatcheries. But ISAv does impair fish health - especially wild fish in stressful survival conditions - and it leaves identifiable cellular markers. This is what the genomic specialists Drs. Kristi Miller, Fredrick Kibenge and Are Nylund found in their independent sampling of wild salmon tissue.

Was the salmon farming industry concealing evidence of ISAv? Not exactly. The following is the McDade and Glowaki technical explanation:

"The evidence is now clear that Dr. Marty was conducting PCR tests with no confirmed validity. His PCR test was developed in-house, by a master's student. This methodology used a primer that was different from that approved by the OIE or by the Moncton lab. It was a primer that had never been through the validation process, nor even apparently a peer-reviewed publication.
Dr. Kibenge testified that in his opinion this test would not be sensitive to finding ISA." So the "self-invented" test had no validity and "in our respectful submission, this 'non-disclosure' is tantamount to deliberate deception."
DFO had chosen to be "willfully blind" by relying only on the invalid testing of this single lab, and the CFIA was contented to avoid the complexities of discovering ISAv, no such disease was ever found by anyone responsible for detecting it.

The ISAv evidence will eventually be weighed by Judge Bruce Cohen.

But the virus is now in the realm of public awareness, and the seismic effects could eventually shake the salmon farming industry, the wild fishery, and the government agencies that were supposed to be safeguarding an invaluable marine ecology.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In a letter to the editor in the Wednesday Jan. 25 Courier-Islander Ian Roberts of Marine Harvest wrote, in part: "... millions of Atlantic salmon were introduced to BC and Washington state at the request of many sport fishermen. From 1905 to 1935, 8.6 million Atlantic eggs and fry were released into BC rivers, while Washington kept trying to establish natural populations until 1991...

"Although no new fish disease has been confirmed, a scientist at the Cohen Commission recently provided evidence that a 'unique genetic signature' never before identified in the Pacific Northwest may have been present well before Atlantic salmon farming began in BC (1985).
'We have, since then, sequenced from these 1986 samples and found that the three fixed base differences that we see, today, existed in 1986 as well, which suggests that not only has this been here for at least 25 years, but it's been here probably quite considerably longer than that, given that there were already fixed differences that existed in 1986.' - Dr. Kristi Miller."

[Inserted: Hey Ian… nice try on the "spin," you even threw in Dr. Kristi Miller's name! FYI... might want to check as those Atlantic salmon you refer happened to have come from eastern Canada and U.S waters. Last time I checked that would be a different ISAv strain. Can YOU say - Norway, ISA, Norway, European, Norway, and strain all in the same sentence? In case you missed my point, it can be and will be traced right back to NORWAY! Hope you have a really ****** day!]

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
http://www.canada.com/Cohen+Commission+Following+traces/6060133/story.html

 

[Whole in the Water]

Hey FishBC.org could you please pass this info on to Dr. Marty to see what he has to say regarding this from the above post! (thanks for posting it Charlie)

"The evidence is now clear that Dr. Marty was conducting PCR tests with no confirmed validity. His PCR test was developed in-house, by a master's student. This methodology used a primer that was different from that approved by the OIE or by the Moncton lab. It was a primer that had never been through the validation process, nor even apparently a peer-reviewed publication.
Dr. Kibenge testified that in his opinion this test would not be sensitive to finding ISA." So the "self-invented" test had no validity and "in our respectful submission, this 'non-disclosure' is tantamount to deliberate deception."
DFO had chosen to be "willfully blind" by relying only on the invalid testing of this single lab, and the CFIA was contented to avoid the complexities of discovering ISAv, no such disease was ever found by anyone responsible for detecting it.

Most of us here on the post would be very interested to see what Marty has to say about this. Perhaps he will be brave enough to answer it directly here as you said he does monitor this forum. I challenge him to do so!