New salmon virus emerges in farm stocks

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SOINTULA (NEWS1130) – A biologist says she has discovered a relatively new virus in farm-raised BC salmon being sold in local supermarkets.

Alexandra Morton claims 44 out of 45 fish she tested had Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation, an ailment that is highly contagious and was first identified in Norway.

She says the danger lies in the potential for the virus to spread to wild stocks.

“Think about the life of a wild salmon, where it has to chase small fish around to catch and eat them. If they have a virus that attacks their heart and there’s muscle damage, this is going to kill these fish in large numbers,” she insists.

“Some of the salmon go 800 kilometres against the Fraser River to get to their spawning grounds. So anything that weakens their heart is going to be a serious problem for them.”

She doesn’t know how the virus wound up here but points out it could have entered local populations through Atlantic farm salmon eggs that are imported into BC by the millions. Morton says the initial challenge now is trying to find out which farms the infected fish came from.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada responded to Morton’s finding in an email to News1130 stating, “Government of Canada scientists have not confirmed the presence of this virus in Canadian fish, despite extensive monitoring and testing. Every indication shows Canadian salmon are healthy and safe.”

The government says it has, “stringent federal regulations in place to protect Canada’s aquatic species (farmed and wild) from disease and will continue to work diligently with our partners to ensure they continue to be strictly enforced.”

Fisheries and Oceans Canada adds, “It is important to note that the direct link between piscine reovirus (PRV) as the causative agent for Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI) is not confirmed and current information does not suggest any impact on human health.”

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