Second Deadly Salmon Virus Found In Norwegian Fish Farms

[MILLERTIME]

SECOND DEADLY SALMON VIRUS FOUND IN NORWEGIAN FISH FARMS

​New HSMI salmon virus feared in Chile
THURSDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2011 STEVE ANDERSON

Leaves 20 percent mortality rate in its wake.

A new salmon virus that destroys the muscle and heart tissue of salmon has been confirmed in Chilean waters, Chile’s National Fish Services Agency (Sernapesca) reported early this month.

Photo by Norsk Havbrukssenter/Flickr.

The disease – called heart and skeletal muscle inflammation, or HSMI – was first detected in Norway in 1999. Research in Norway confirmed the virus’ presence last year at 417 salmon farms there (both fresh and salt water) and that it has 20 percent mortality rate for infected fish.

Sernapesca first suspected HSMI could be present in Chilean waters last June, but refused to say so on record, despite repeated questioning from the local El Llanquihue newspaper.

But early this month Sernapesca’s Director Juan Luis Ansoleaga finally confirmed the virus’ presence in Chilean waters in an interview given to the Santiago-based Diario Financiero, conceding that current Sernapesca research confirms HSMI presence in 10 Chilean salmon farms.

Still, Ansoleaga discounted the virus’ potential impact on Chile’s industry, insisting that the mortality rate for the virus in Chile varies “between one and three percent,” even while acknowledging a 15 percent mortality rate in special cases.

News of this new virus threat come just as Chile’s salmon farm industry is recovering from the dramatic effects left several years ago by a major infection of the ISA virus, a virus that is also believed to have originated in Norway, the world’s largest salmon farm producing country.

Only recently has salmon, Chile’s third most important export, returned to pre-ISA levels
of production.

By Steve Anderson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2011 – The Santiago Times


http://www.santiagotimes.cl/patagon...s/22722-new-hsmi-salmon-virus-feared-in-chile

 

[MILLERTIME]

When is someone going to put a stop to these Norwegian disease spreading bastards.....
Are we going to wait until they have polluted the entire planet......

 

[Aces]

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Vacancies No ISA virus found in British Columbia
Canada: Professional scientists are backtracking from initial statements after facts become known- rabid environmentalists still insisting the sky is falling


Opinion

Odd Grydeland

It all started with the screaming headline in a Press Release issued on Monday this week by the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver: “Lethal Atlantic Virus found in Pacific Salmon”. On top of the list of contacts for more information was well-known anti-salmon farming activist Alexandra Morton, who was recently awarded an honourary doctorate from the very same institution, without having a single degree in her name related to this or any other biological or aquatic animal subject. Headlines quickly popped up everywhere- “Deadly European virus found in B.C. salmon” said the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). “Lethal European fish virus found in Canada” said a similar headline from AFP. The New York Times also chimed in- “Salmon-Killing Virus Seen for First Time in the Wild on the Pacific Coast”.

Even the otherwise level-headed scientists Dr. James Winton, Fish Health Chief of the Western Fisheries Research Center of the US Geological Survey in Washington State as well as the person responsible for the reporting of the suspect findings- Dr. Fred Kibenge of the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at the University of Prince Edward Island got caught up in the excitement- being quoted as contacts for the Wild Fish Conservancy, “a non-profit organization dedicated to the recovery and conservation of the Northwest region’s wild-fish ecosystems” in a release issued on Tuesday this week. The organization suggested- among else- that “The presence of this virus, never before detected in the Pacific Northwest, poses a serious threat to native salmon species that are already in decline or endangered”. The Wild Fish Conservancy “Response to ISAv Detection in B.C.” included recommendations that ranged from the immediate halt to additional net pen salmon aquaculture on the west coast of North America to the full scale transition of all future aquaculture operations “to land-based facilities where escape of non-native species can be successfully prevented”. Dr. Winton called this news a “disease emergency with global implications”.

But then the facts of the matter started to be known;

•There was no identification of ISA virus in the samples examined by Dr. Kibenge
•Almost 5,000 samples of farmed Atlantic salmon from B.C. have failed to show the presence of ISA
•The two samples identified as positive for ISA using PCR technology were never confirmed by either DNA sequencing or isolation of the virus itself
•Laboratory exposure to high levels of ISA virus by Pacific salmon (Coho, Chinook, Chum and Pink) has failed to generate mortality
All of a sudden, the Atlantic Veterinary College web site is not accessible (author’s own experience), and Dr. Kibenge’s boss, Dr. David Groman, Section Head of Diagnostic Services at the AVC stated that contrary to statements made by the Simon Fraser University, the samples that had been tested “came from healthy juvenile smolt of sockeye salmon, not from adult specimens as it was suggested. The basis for all the reporting has been due to findings using real-time PCR testing, with no complete sequencing of the PCR products to do any strain typing of the virus”(FIS).

By Wednesday, Dr. Kibenge acknowledges that “the recent ISA testing was conducted by a graduate student at Simon Fraser (University) who was researching the cause of unusually small sockeye salmon smolts in recent seasons". According to the Seattle Weekly reporter Keegan Hamilton, “Kibenge says his findings have been blown out of proportions- people are calling me from all over the world- newspapers, TV, it’s ridiculous. It’s nothing really to change the industry. It’s really dangerous when you put it that way”. And in the same report, Dr. Winton is quoted with a more muted statement; “..recent findings should not be taken lightly”, but he also cautions that “..it’s far too early to panic. For one thing, no one knows how the virus impacts wild sockeye salmon”.



Publisert: 24.10.11 kl 07:

 

[Whole in the Water]

Not sure what point your are trying to make in posting this Fishtofino. Are you supporting or against what is said in this opinion article?

 

[Weff]

Dr. Kibenge wrote "it's far too early to panic". Whatever, you effing idiot. OOPs gotta watch myself here. Regardless of whether or not you can prove that any virus is in BC waters is in my opinion irrelevant. Personally I think one of them is out there. Shouldn't we now just be concerned with stopping it through all means necessary. If we know viruses can come from farmed salmon isn't that good enough!!! It's so frustrating, you can see how militant action gets started. We can't let our government destroy another fishery. OMG the impact of NO west coast salmon is something I really can't imagine. How that would impact everything alive on the coast is truly scary. We have to protect our fishery! WTF do we have to do to stop this insanity, for real!

 

[Aces]

Not sure what point your are trying to make in posting this Fishtofino. Are you supporting or against what is said in this opinion article?

My point is we need all the information to make informed decisions. I'm no proponent of fish farming but i believe in hearing the arguments from both sides on all subjects.

 

[Whole in the Water]

The concerned (or as is stated in the artice that you posted "rabid environmentalists still insisting the sky is falling") response to this issues is based in part in that a growing segment of our population in western democracies are losing their trust and faith in govt. and scientists to act in the best interest of the people and/or the environment, but rather only in the best interest of large corporations that fund the elections and research studies. Based upon many similar type issues in the past (e.g. Norway and Chile, etc.) how could you blame people for being very concerned on a issue like this when govt's and corporations have a history of manipulating and interpreting scientific research to support their corporate and not public needs. Now I completly agree that in the end we must let reason, logic and the truth prevail to guide our decisions, but one shouldn't be surprised about people being very upset re. this issue, in fact if there were not, that would be a much bigger problem IMO. My 2 bits.

 

[Englishman]

FishTofino,
Your post and your logic for posting it sounds, on the surface, like a perfectly reasonable counterbalancing view.
In reality, it is a “salmon feed lot harm denier” post, as misleading as the “climate change denier” articles, and as dangerous as the “immunisation denier” viewpoint.
The salmon feed lot industry violates many biological and ecological facts and principles.
1) Large concentrations of caged fish are mono-cultures, notorious for always breeding diseases and pests.
2) Fighting these diseases and pests (e.g. sea lice) with anti-biotics always breeds resistance. This is basic evolutionary biology because of the ability of these organisms to mutate.
3) Even if the ISA virus has not infected wild salmon yet (very unlikely), it will do so. It is as inevitable as the rising sun, because of simple evolution. The ability for viruses to mutate, and mutate quickly, means they will adapt to new hosts put in their path. It is a virtual certainty.
4) Having fish feed lots on the migration routes of salmon smolts violates natural biological ecology, which has kept smolts and large concentrations of adult fish apart for millennia.
We do not need more information, more studies and more tests. The simple precautionary principle means we would remove all salmon feed lots from the open ocean immediately. We cannot know or test for every possible ecosystem impact or effect before acting. The wild salmon runs are simply too important and valuable to run that massive risk.
They must go…now!

 

[NautiGirl]

good post Englishman

 

[cuttlefish]

FYI,Old Odd Grydeland used to be the Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association. He now has a column in the e-journal, FishFarmingXpert where he writes daily articles about aquaculture news from North America. As stated, this is an opinion piece. That in itself does not necessarily make it any more factual than the stories from those whom Odd so often rails against.
For example, his headline; "No ISA virus found in BC".
Dr Kibenge - who is one of only two internationally recognized experts in the world at identifying this virus - identified it as the European strain. Sure, it was in real time PCR tests but these are his findings. Who in the world would know better? Surely not Odd.
Another example of Odd's bias is his last bullet point. "Lab exposures...in Pacific salmon...has failed to generate mortality." He fails to say what strain the salmon were exposed to if in fact it was the same European strain and leaves it to the reader to discern that sockeye were not included in those lab tests.

I'm no scientist but,to me, Odd's reference to those lab tests is an attempt at spin similar to the way the industry spun the DFO lab tests for lethal sea lice infestations on juvenile pink salmon to say that everything is all good once pinks grow larger than .7 grams.

In the lab.

 

[Englishman]

Cuttlefish,
Your analysis of the spin is exactly why I characterised the "salmon feed lot harm deniers" as misleading in my original post above. Half the information, some key facts left out, attacking the credentials of the industry critics, these are typical of the tactics of these types of so-called "opinion pieces". Opinion is a bit of a misnomer really. In fact they are more like propaganda, designed to confuse, obfuscate and deflect from the real crucial issues on behalf of financially motivated vested interests who have zero interest in the greater good, future generations, or the planet for that matter. As long as people just throw up their hands and say "well I don't know I guess we have to do more studies and get more data" they have done their nasty job. Nothing is actually done to curb or remove the fish farm feed lots and they can continue business as usual, all the while reassuring any questioner that the potential problems are "being studied".
Clever, but deadly tactics, playing roulette with the salmon ecosystem......

 

[Whole in the Water]

Here, here Englishman couldn't have said it better.

 

[Gunsmith]

Exactly what propaganda was intended to do, confuse the enemy, send them off on a wild goose chase while it is business as usual at the disease farms.

 

[searun]

good post Englishman

Roger that. Thanks FishTofino for posting all the facts. I also subscribe to trying to get all the facts on the table so we can make an informed decision...and that said, for all the reasons stated by Englishman it is time for Salmon Feed Lots in their present form to go land based.