Some potentially awful news for our salmon stocks

[coach]

This will be interesting to follow: http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/66142/Deadly-salmon-virus-in-B-C-stock

[guest]

It's been no secret ........ every where Atlantics have been farmed has proved catastrophic ........ANY ONE HAVE A BRAIN TO MOVE ALL FARMED FISH ONTO DRYLAND TANKS !

DUHH !!! Federal Gov. Should be ashamed and Gordon Campbell and company have a legacy ..... the demise of the WEST COAST SALMON STOCKS shame shame !

CT

[warnniklz]

They call that news?? Ok so it may have just happened but it's not exactly surprising.

[Spirit's Master]

2 of 48 smolts had the illness?

Out of the 10's of miilions of smolts in the system, they may want to expand their sample numbers to add a little more validity to their findings.

cwf

[coach]

When I was in elementary school, the pine trees in a small area of the chilcotin became infested with Pine Beatles. The "environmentalists" at the time suggested nature needed to be allowed to take it's course and that a controlled burn was against their beliefs. Like I said, it will be interesting to follow this story. Two smolts doesn't sound like a big deal - neither did a small area of beatle infested pine.

[reach]

It sounds like the virus in question really only affects Atlantics - Pacific salmon can carry it but seem to be resistant to its effects.

Let's hope that's the case and it does manage to wipe out the open pen farms. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

I wonder how the industry will spin it if it's proven that the virus came from Atlantics introduced by farms.

[Trapper D]

funny hey coach, nature used to take care of its self, as the fires would run their course, keeping them in check. now we race to put the fires out. for every action there is a reaction. will we ever get it right. not bloody likely . cant wait till 2050 when theres 10 billion of us , wont be here but maybe thats a blessing

[IronNoggin]

It sounds like the virus in question really only affects Atlantics - Pacific salmon can carry it but seem to be resistant to its effects.


Currently, in it's present form, ISA has been noted as "unlikely" to effect Pacific Salmon. That said, the best science minds in the world also note this caveat: "The jury is still out" regarding potential infection and symptomatic response in Pacific Salmon.

ISA is a Virus, and a virus understood to mutate/evolve in an incredibly rapid fashion. Much like the Avian Flu, which in it's original form presented little danger to human health, however with a few cycles of mutation, became a very serious threat indeed.

Today we understand that coho can be infected, looks like sockeye the same, and of course Rainbow Trout (and Steelhead) are well up there on the list of those susceptible to this insidious disease. Given the virus' propensity for rapid evolution (mutation if you will), proximity to a reasonably large biomass to explore and expand it's infection rate into, do we have any reason to expect it will not make it's way into wild Pacific Salmon stocks?
Is this a risk worth taking? NOT in my books!

There WILL be some serious follow-up to this observation alright. For the first time, the farmers are facing the potential of complete loss due to their own actions. ISA can and will RAVAGE the farmed Atlantics in one hell of a hurry if/when they are exposed to it. And The Dino MUST pay attention to the ramifications of it becoming present in wild Pacific Salmon stocks. Given the ass-covering nature of the industry, and The Dino's complete and utter support for that industry, I strongly suspect we will never witness Full Disclosure. That said, there WILL be some serious follow-up studies, and we will eventually hear of their findings methinks.

While I fervently HOPE the next studies do not find any further presence, I ain't holding my breath. Where there's smoke...

The potential for catastrophic impacts to our salmon stocks is high. One would think it is overdue to err on the side of caution, and get the damn net pens out of our water!

Nog

[dryflyguy57]

All the farms will do is deny and go on the offensive . Soon it will be the wild stocks that have spread this disease . Anyone know what the actual mandate of DFO is ? To protect wild stocks or expand fish farming ? I think the latter . Watch them jump ship like rats when the shit hits the fan .

[Ozone]

http://rlv.zcache.com/oh_crap_the_sky_is_falling_card-p137021172328032215qi0i_400.jpg

[IronNoggin]

"Jury is still out" Ozone. But the potential IS really there this go around. Unfortunately... :cry:

[Trapper D]

They should keep an eye on the Salmon River , cause its known that the Atlantics have been caught in the salmon river. Hers a good idea that should be imposed on all net pens, at least till it becomes all closed containment. Every farmed salmon should be tagged with a serial number , so when an atlantic is caught in the wild, they can identify where they came from, and if its a repeat offender, shut em down.

[IronNoggin]

"The Harper government, which on Thursday described as "inconclusive" tests showing British Columbia wild sockeye salmon have been infected with a potentially devastating virus, isn't taking the matter as seriously as top politicians in the U.S., the House of Commons was told Thursday."

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/senators+raise+alarm+over+sockeye+virus/5582994/story.html

Not at all surprised by the Minister's handling of the matter:
- "the disease has "never been found" in B.C. farmed salmon"
- his "department has tested wild salmon three times this year. All three tests were negative."
- "the positive results for the two salmon from B.C.'s Rivers Inlet... are "far from conclusive."

Basically Move along, Nothing to see here. http://fishbcforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif
Let's hope that the "further tests" he alludes to aren't simply going through the motions towards a preordained, Agenda driven conclusion...

Accountability should this go as many believe it may? Well... One can dream I suppose. Damn hard for me to imagine politicians (past & present), the least accountable Federal Ministry there is in Canada, and the Offshore Proponents EVER facing that particular brand of music. Then again, perhaps I am in error in this particular instance... http://fishbcforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif

More on the American Response:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/science/20salmon.html?_r=2&ref=science

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/deadly-salmon-virus-raises-concerns-us-canada-14765021

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44952384/ns/us_news-environment/t/salmon-virus-raises-concerns-us-canada/#.TqMMB7KyBpx

Nog

[IronNoggin]

U.S. Senate approved investigation and response plan for virus outbreak in British Columbia salmon

Posted by Mark Yuasa

It didn't take long for the U.S. Senate to back an investigation into the potentially deadly salmon virus that appeared in two juvenile salmon in British Columbia.

Here is a press release that came out of Senator Maria Cantwell's (D-WA) office today (Oct. 21):

During a long session that went into the early morning hours, the U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan amendment authored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that calls for an investigation and rapid response plan to prevent the spread of a potentially deadly salmon virus.
The virus, which was recently found for the first time in Pacific wild salmon, may pose a threat to the Pacific Northwest salmon fishing industry and the coastal economies that rely on it. The virus does not pose a threat to human health.

The bipartisan amendment was backed by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Begich (D-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

The amendment, introduced October 19th to the pending appropriations bill (H.R. 2112), calls on the National Aquatic Animal Health Task Force to evaluate the risk the virus could have on wild salmon off West Coast and Alaskan waters, and to develop a plan to address this emerging threat. The minibus appropriations bill - including Cantwell's accepted amendment - is scheduled for a final vote in the Senate during the week of October 31.

"We thought it was very important that this amendment pass tonight because scientists are calling it a disease emergency. That is, that the Pacific Northwest wild salmon might be threatened by a virus that has already decimated fish farm salmon from around the world," Cantwell said on the Senate floor. "We cannot risk having this impact the Pacific Northwest wild salmon."
"It's tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars as it relates to our economy. ...We need an action plan immediately and we need to make sure that we are formulating a rapid response to what to do if we do detect that this virus is spreading with the potential impact that we've seen in other areas."

Cantwell's complete remarks as delivered follow:

Madame President.
In that en bloc group of amendments was an important Amendment 893 that was sponsored by my colleagues from the Northwest, obviously myself, Senator Murray, Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein.
And we thought it was very important that this amendment pass tonight because scientists are calling it a disease emergency. That is that the Pacific Northwest wild salmon might be threatened by a virus that has already decimated fish farm salmon from around the world.

So we want to see, first of all, important scientific questions answered about the impacts of this virus and the threat that they pose to Pacific Northwest salmon.

Second, we want to make sure there is an aggressive management plan and an effective rapid response plan to deal with the threat of this virus.

And third we want to make sure that we are protecting wild salmon and the important economy that goes with it.

I know many people know the Northwest as known for a healthy salmon population but this salmon population is also an economy for us. It's tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars as it relates to our economy.
So being able to detect this virus and make sure that we are assessing the potential threat to the wild salmon population is something that we want to see happen immediately.

This makes sure that the task force, that is a joint task force already in place between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), works effectively in a very short time period to make sure that we are getting this accurate assessment.

As I mentioned this virus in the farm fish population around the world, in Chile and other places, has decimated salmon. We cannot risk having this impact the Pacific Northwest wild salmon.

So we need answers quickly from the scientific community. We need an action plan immediately. And we need to make sure that we are formulating a rapid response for what to do if we do detect this virus is spreading with the potential impact that we've seen in other areas.

So I thank my colleagues for making sure that this amendment is passed tonight. I know that Senator Murkowski had planned earlier to talk about this and I want to thank Senator Hutchinson from Texas for helping us move this along in the process.

I hope now as we move this legislation that we will also get the cooperation from NOAA and Secretary Lubchenco and others to make sure that we are responding very rapidly to this very, very serious, what people have called the scientific need, to get these questions answered as soon as possible.

I thank the President and I yield the floor.

..................................................

Wonder when or IF our Gov will react? :confused:

Nog

[IronNoggin]

NOW Our Fed's Step In :confused:

West Coast salmon virus under federal investigation
CBC News
Posted: Oct 21, 2011 11:11 AM PT
Last Updated: Oct 21, 2011 11:02 AM PT

Federal official are working to confirm reports that a potentially devastating salmon virus has been detected in West Coast wild salmon stocks

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is investigating recent reports that infectious salmon anaemia has been detected in wild sockeye salmon in British Columbia," said a statement issued by federal officials on Friday morning.

Simon Fraser University Prof. Rick Routledge announced earlier this week the highly infectious virus had been detected in two wild sockeye smolts collected on B.C.'s central coast

Federal official say they are now working closely with the Atlantic Veterinary College, which conducted initial testing for Routledge, to confirm the results.

"If the disease is confirmed through this analysis, the CFIA will, in consultation with partners and stakeholders, identify and take appropriate next steps," said the statement.

"In Canada, infectious salmon anaemia is a 'federally reportable disease.' This means that all suspected cases of the disease must be immediately reported to the CFIA. The disease poses no risk to people."

Alexandra Morton, a biologist and longtime critic of salmon farms, says the European strain of the virus could only have come from the farmed Atlantic salmon in the area, and it could have a devastating impact on the province's wild salmon and herring.

But experts point out the source of the virus remains unproven, and the disease has never been detected in farmed salmon stocks on the West Coast.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/21/bc-cfia-salmon-virus.html

[Trapper D]

well good on the americans to force the hand. should get some real details from this. a lot of american salmon pass through our waters. do the americans even have a salmon farm? maybe this will get things going

[Gunner]

http://rlv.zcache.com/oh_crap_the_sky_is_falling_card-p137021172328032215qi0i_400.jpg
A comment from the industry spokesman. Gunner

[Trapper D]

nor hide nor hair..ehh, i had my single barbless containment hook out dragging bottom for days but no takers.lol

[Ozone]

A comment from the industry spokesman. Gunner

I am not the industry spokesman. Never claimed to be. Not sure were you get your info from, but you may want to check your sources.

[Trapper D]

hey no fair , only legal fishing methods G, ripping multiple trebles through the water is cheating, nice size though, to bad its an atlantic. lol

[IronNoggin]

Virus in Pacific Salmon Raises Worries About Industry

By WILLIAM YARDLEY (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/y/william_yardley/index.html?inline=nyt-per)

Published: October 28, 2011

Advocates for wild salmon (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/salmon/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) said Friday that a deadly virus had been detected again in a Pacific salmon in British Columbia, but it was not clear if it would prove lethal to the fish population.


The finding, like one involving two juvenile wild sockeye salmon in British Columbia, poses questions for the viability of salmon fisheries in Canada and the United States. Scientists have expressed concern about the emergence of the virus while raising questions about complications, including scientific doubts about the quality of the tests.



In its active state, the virus, infectious salmon anemia, has devastated Atlantic salmon populations in fish farms in Chile and elsewhere. Salmon advocates have long worried that the virus could spread to wild populations, but it not clear whether Pacific salmon are equally susceptible.


In documents released Friday, an adult coho salmon supplied by salmon advocates to a prominent laboratory showed signs of carrying the disease. That fish was reported to have been found in a tributary of the Fraser River, a critical salmon run for fishermen in Canada and the United States.



Last week, researchers from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and elsewhere said that they had discovered the virus in 2 of 48 juvenile fish collected as part of a study of sockeye salmon in Rivers Inlet, on the central coast of British Columbia. The study was undertaken after scientists observed a decline in the number of young sockeye.



Such a virus could have a deep impact on the survival of salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Some scientists have suggested that the virus had spread from British Columbia’s aquaculture industry, which has imported millions of Atlantic salmon eggs over the last 25 years.



Salmon farms and wild fish are separated only by a net, many have noted. No treatment exists for the virus, which does not spread to humans, scientists say.



The crowded conditions of salmon farms are thought to abet the spread of the virus.



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/science/pacific-salmon-virus-raises-worries-about-industry.html

:confused:

[spreerider]

advocates would never lie to get some controversy into the news would they?

[dryflyguy57]

I think advocates for fish farms would and do lie , so yes to answer your question .

[Ozone]

The salmon farms are held accountable were the antis are not.

[dryflyguy57]

You have a paid mouthpiece to bullshit the public .

[BuckEye]

Campbell river has suffered a big downturn in the fishing and mill industries over the last decade. The salmon farms have brought a great deal of jobs at the sites themselves, as well as those down the economical food chain into Campbell River suppliers and businesses in general. The farms have had a major economic impact for Campbell River and some other small area towns. I know many resident of Campbell River see the economical boost that has been provided and think the farms are doing no harm. Ozone would appear to be from this camp.
I'm in the same camp as Ironnoggin and feel that there is too much at stake to take chances. The track record is poor, the ownership is off shore, and the accountability will be left with our own elected officials and governments who allowed it to happen. I think it will happen if we continue on the same path of wait and see..
Nothing personal Ozone, and I sure hope you can be calling me chicken little in the years to come....

[Ozone]

You have a paid mouthpiece to bullshit the public .

Some antis are paid very well, just look at Suzuki for 1 example, but most are just pawns being used by others. In this case it would be American with interest in the Alaska sockeye "fishery".

[Ozone]

Nothing personal Ozone.

No worries, thanks for your input.

[Trapper D]

I wonder how many animals are killed trying to feed themselves in these floating all you can eat buffets? What kind of rights does a fish farm have in regards to killing wildlife?

[Ozone]

I wonder how many animals are killed trying to feed themselves in these floating all you can eat buffets?

Are you talking about seals? If it is then not as many as I would like anymore, but thats just my opinion.


What kind of rights does a fish farm have in regards to killing wildlife?

Once again if you are discussing seals, its called a Predator Licence, everything must be recorded and submitted to DFO. Its much like a cattle farmer killing a couger becouse its killing his cows I would guess.

[Trapper D]

Are you talking about seals? If it is then not as many as I would like anymore, but thats just my opinion. no i wasnt talking seals , have at e


Once again if you are discussing seals, its called a Predator Licence, everything must be recorded and submitted to DFO. Its much like a cattle farmer killing a couger becouse its killing his cows I would guess. black bears and grizzlies, sea otters, etc

[Ubertuber]

Let's hope that's the case and it does manage to wipe out the open pen farms. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.

Amen, wipe those slug farms out.

[Trapper D]

commercial fisherman have onboard cameras nowadays on some types of fishing. i think the same should apply to farms since there mostly remote. live monitoring of surface and below surface cameras, till there closed containment.

[Ozone]

black bears and grizzlies, sea otters, etc

Heard of a endangered grizzlies being shot once as it starting to endanger the workers, never any Black bear or otters though (most farms have eletric fences for otters).

On the other hand I have rescued eagles, deer, kyakers, comercial fishermen, drunk sports fishermen, sailboater, kids, and given away alot of fuel, water, food, clothing not to mention let people use our phone, computers even our shower all for free. Oh and lets not forget all the free diving I have done for people who have gotten ropes or nets in there props or the tug that I dove under one night and plugged a hole after it hit a rock becouse the pumps were not keeping up. These are just some of the things I have done and seen, there are many more like me though.

[Trapper D]

ozone im not attacking you as a person or at all for that matter. im pretty sure most in your situation would do the same things as your claiming , but that has nothing to do with what i was asking. These are just things im thinking about that never become mainstream i wanted to do suspended lantern net oyster farming. never came to be. Ive been to the broughton archepeligo as a kid before , farming had taken hold in that area, and now when you go to the beaches that once had unlimited clams etc, its now covered with a layer of sludge that has suffocated everything underneath. and i know your response, logging, sorry no the same sludge under the net pens, the kind that the prawns and shrimp love as thats where i drop my traps. now viruses, and vaccinating, you know the story. how come no farmers have to support getting the atlantics out of the salmon river? Ive emailed MH and discussed with them my concerns, and , they deny. IMO. I think all activety on fish farms should be monitored via live feed cameras, also , believe , atlantic salmon should have individual serial number tags, for tracking and what have you, but also, if found out of nets, making the farm responsible for escapments, held financially responsible for any damages incurred. its par for the course, considering whats been going on all these years. I do understand your existance , but net pen farmers have to realize many other species exist as well.

[Ozone]

I never took it as a personal attack, I was just pointing out some of the good things we do that never make the news.

[Gunner]

http://rlv.zcache.com/oh_crap_the_sky_is_falling_card-p137021172328032215qi0i_400.jpg
Just thought I'd put this up again now that IAS has been identified by an SFU research team in adult coho,chinook,and chum in the Harrison River
.The researchers have said that since IAS is a disease associated with European Atlantic salmon and is not endemic to the Northwest Pacific that it is probable that it arrived with infected Atlantic salmon eggs used by the aquaculture industry. Gunner

[Trapper D]

americans are saying quite possibly our government cant be trusted towards this virus, and i believe it. possibly the end of salmon in our generation, thats what they say. looking like its not worth the hassle to go closed containment now. the collaspe of the runs in the broughton archapelago, is probably due to same virus IMO, as a dead salmon at sea lasts only moments , and many wouldnt recognize or in fact bring one in for testing, also i believe theres been some burying of facts and evidence for some time. another wake up call. three different species in the harrison river found to have virus hmm, i smell cover up, this has been around for a bit i bet time for hard core changes

[Walking Buffalo]

americans are saying quite possibly our government cant be trusted towards this virus, and i believe it. possibly the end of salmon in our generation, thats what they say. looking like its not worth the hassle to go closed containment now. the collaspe of the runs in the broughton archapelago, is probably due to same virus IMO, as a dead salmon at sea lasts only moments , and many wouldnt recognize or in fact bring one in for testing, also i believe theres been some burying of facts and evidence for some time. another wake up call. three different species in the harrison river found to have virus hmm, i smell cover up, this has been around for a bit i bet time for hard core changes

"looking like its not worth the hassle to go closed containment now."

I couldn't agree less with this statement. The sooner all salmon farming is moved to closed containment systems the better for the health of wild fish and humans.


The concept in the bolded statement would make many Agriculture corporations very happy. Great for market share, less concerns regarding further environmental damage. Without question, eliminating public access to wild food is highly sought by many international companies.

[Trapper D]

SARCASM walking buffalo read a couple more posts next time to make a determination.lol

[Walking Buffalo]

SARCASM walking buffalo read a couple more posts next time to make a determination.lol

Went over my head, and I'm at 5000 feet. :) My determinations still stand.

The scary part is that there are many AG execs thinking the same thing, Covet the The Holy grail, NO WILD FOOD....

[Trapper D]

they should be holding all stakeholders of net pen salmon farming for all damages incurred from viruses, sea lice, sludge from rotting fish pellets suffocating sea floor and shorelines, financially responsible.. take their money then they will care

[Whonnock Boy]

they should be holding all stakeholders of net pen salmon farming for all damages incurred from viruses, sea lice, sludge from rotting fish pellets suffocating sea floor and shorelines, financially responsible.. take their money then they will care


In a perfect world trapper..... in a perfect world.

[Trapper D]

http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/942-farmed-salmon-confidential-isa-virus-cohen-commission informative read

[Johnnybear]

http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/942-farmed-salmon-confidential-isa-virus-cohen-commission informative read

Yup a class action law suit against the Provincial and Federal Governments of Canada and the Norwegian Goverment would get the hornets nest all stirred up for sure. I would love to see some head's roll.

I think the American's have the right reaction. The sky could be falling. Prove to us that it isn't nay sayer's.

[Trapper D]

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2011/07/cermaq-corporate-team-minutes-be-careful.html exerpt from above, but this is what our fish are up against

[Johnnybear]

Here are some comments from a guy that read's more reports and data than any sportsfisherman I have come across from the SFBC site.

"IMHO, DFO is just stalling for time and trying to come up with a game plan right now. I can't wait to see how the fish farms and DFO try to cover this one up! But, I assure they will!

Chinook "farmed" salmon have been dying for years, can you say since the mid 80s? Do some reseach on what DFO "calls" SLV. It seems according to DFO, and DFO only BC "farmed" Chinook are the only ones in the world that has that disease. DFO dropped their research? Maybe they got to close in determining that SLV is really ISAv? I would LOVE to hear Dr. Kristie Miller's comments on that one. Oh forget, DFO dropped the funding on her research when she asked to sample the "fish farms"?

Here is another thought for you... The "fish farms" quietly removed their "farmed" Chinook off the wild migration routes. Why? FYI... There have been "many" known outbreaks of both "BKD" and what DFO calls "SLV" in "farmed" Chinook. Here is one for you - both display the same symptoms as ISAv. Without any further testing for ISAv all those "farmed" salmon DFO has been telling everyone was SLV and BDK, could have actually been ISAv? Any bets on that? "


Here is a link to the whole thread.

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/showthread.php?17506-More-on-ISA-Alex

[Trapper D]

the one thing i cant believe is the government letting net farmers test their own fish, thats a complete crock. in no way , in this day and age should this be aloud. http://www.findonnelly.ca/salmonpetition

[spreerider]

TrapperD fish farms do use cameras above and below the water, i used to manufacture the underwater ones.

also there are no pellets hitting the bottom, they are too expensive to waste, cameras under water stop the feeding once the fish are not eating fast enough to catch them all and the feeders are adjustable so as appitite goes down feed decreases.

The bottom under the farms is just like the bottom anywhere else, i have personally operated ROV subs and checked it out myself, lots of prawns, scallop, cucumbers, and ling cod etc. under there same as everywhere else we sent the ROV down.

[Trapper D]

well spreerider maybe things have changed a little in the last while, but coming from a family that commercially harvested abalone, id have to side with our divers on this one. And as for cameras , i mean cameras operated and owned by the government to monitor fish farms like they do with some commercial fisheries, been proven over and over that self-monitoring doesnt work . the prawns that congregate around salmon net pens are self explanitory, they are there for the food source. what i would like to know is what happens to the fish that die in the pens, also what is done with the blood and guts when the fish are harvested? In studies it is known that entrails and blood can transfer the virus. the same process that cattle farmers have to go through . ie government certified processing plants , is another thing that has to happen with farmed salmon

[IronNoggin]

In the follow up testing done by CFIA, all of those 48 smolts tested negative as did other samples collected by CFIA from researchers involved. Some samples were too degraded for testing to be completed.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/wild+salmon+test+negative+deadly+virus+CFIA+report s/5677129/story.html#ixzz1d9w3SjhY

And on it goes... :confused:

Nog

[Trapper D]

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2011/11/more-european-isa-virus-detected-in-wild-bc-salmon.html World animal Health , , also tested, so there will now be better sources of fact , since the big boys are involved. if you read through this , you will notice , they claim that possible sources of the virus could have come from 2 CAMPBELL RIVER SALMON FARMS interesting to say the least. PREDICTION, DFO TOP SENIOR OFFICIALS WILL RESIGN OR BE LET GO SOON.

[Trapper D]

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2011/10/dear-minister-ashfield-immediate-response-to-isa-virus-required.html interesting picture of a pipe dumping effluent into discovery passage from one of the salmon farmers processing plants that they use, one of the main salmon routes, along our coast. ISAv as they say can be transferred via blood being pumped into the water

[Hooktender]

Food for thought.....Go plant some fish you like to catch in a lake they don't currently exist in and see what happens to you when CO's find out! You will be so far in jail you'll need to be fed with a sling shot! Now, why the hell are there Atlantic salmon in our Pacific? Hmmmm

[winchester284]

More bad news from the Cohen commission hearings...

http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/1222-kristi-miller-cohen-commission-salmon-virus

"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence." – Carl Sagan

Dr. Kristi Miller took the stage for a curtain call at the Cohen Commission into disappearing Fraser River sockeye yesterday, delivering a dramatic follow-up performance to her headline-grabbing run (http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/1027-why-cohen-commission-matters-salmon-aquaculture-gillis) in September.

Among the bombshell revelations that emerged from the first of three extra days for the Commission – added recently to address the discovery of ISA virus in wild BC salmon – were the confirmation that ISA virus (or something very similar) is undoubtedly here in BC, and has likely been for at least 25 years; and Miller’s own detection of a new deadly virus in both farmed and wild salmon. The latter surprise was so fresh it came as a major shock to most everyone in the packed Wosk Centre for Dialogue, where this round of hearings is taking place.

........

On a day so jam-packed with heated exchanges and dynamite revelations, it’s hard to know where to begin when making sense of it all – but here are the Cole’s Notes, seen through the lens of Miller’s testimony:

First off, Dr. Miller helped clarify the baffling claims coming from both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and BC Salmon Farmers’ Association that “ISA is not in BC.” Given the number of positive test results from the world’s top labs, the certainty with which the Harper Government and its fish farming pals have claimed the disease is not here has puzzled many in the media and conservation community. Well, Miller cleared up the confusion in her testimony, explaining the sneaky linguistic trick these folks have been leaning on in making these boasts. More on that in a moment.

Three of the four scientists on the stand, the sole exception being DFO’s Nellie Gagne, were quite comfortable asserting that ISA virus - or a very similar virus or yet unknown strain of ISAv - is by all indications here in BC. The same three also concurred there was no hard evidence of ISA causing mortality in wild fish…yet. They all asserted the vital need for more testing at this stage – something DFO has gone out of its way to avoid (with the exception of Miller, who has taken this work upon herself – to the great consternation of DFO managers, by whom she claims she has been completely ostracized for her recent investigations into the virus).

Back to that verbal sleight of hand contained in that statement, “ISA is not in BC.” As Miller explained, there’s no real doubt that ISA virus (ISAv) is here; but until the virus is actually demonstrated to be killing salmon, it’s fair not to call it a "disease". And that’s what these folks are hanging their hat on - by their definition ISA alone implies ISA disease. They are very careful not to call it ISAv (virus) – just ISA without the “v”, implying that there is not evidence of ISA disease here in BC - which appears, for the time being, to be technically correct, though patently and deliberately deceitful.

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The fact is Miller is running what could be termed as a super-lab out of the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo. Because of the wealth of fish samples she has to draw on, dating back 25 years, and the sophistication of her equipment and methods, she’s able to process enormous volumes of tests and data compared to the other labs (several hundred tests a day compared to as little a 6 tests a week for some of the others).

Another key point Miller made on the stand was the fear she harboured of having all her years of samples confiscated by the CFIA, as the agency did to SFU professor Rick Routledge (http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/1101-us-senators-demand-action-salmon-virus-while-bc-counterparts-go-into-denial-mode-damien-gillis) after his sockeye samples form Rivers Inlet came back positive for ISAv earlier this year – the catalyst, in fact, for the re-opening of the Cohen Commission. Miller indicated she felt intimidated by DFO managers and the CFIA from the strongly implied threat that they could storm into her lab and take away this enormously valuable genetic bank she oversees. “I was very concerned that that would be one threat that if the samples I’m working on were classified as ISA that I would lose the samples that are important for my genomics program,” she told the Inquiry.

It is thanks to this wealth of material that Miller was able to establish that ISAv has likely been here in BC at least since 1986 – as she was able to test livers from sockeye that date back that far and find evidence of the virus, which came as another shock amid the day’s proceedings.

The salmon farmers will be quick to change their story now from “There is no ISA in BC” to, “See, we told you – ISAv is here and has been since before we arrived, so it’s not our fault after all.”
They will try to make this case because it’s all they have left now that they’ve been stripped of their final fig leaves. But we also learned yesterday form Drs. Nylund and Kibenge that European and Canadian Atlantic strains of ISAv have been around for at least a hundred years and probably much longer. So have sea lice – all these pathogens and parasites are likely endemic to wild salmon. What has changed is the introduction of these breeding grounds for disease that are open net pen fish farms. As Dr. Nylund explained, viral mutation and transmission occur at a much faster rate in farmed fish compared with wild because of the enormous densities of fish in these ocean feedlots, which incubate and propagate these pathogens. ISA was in Norway for decades – maybe centuries – before it devastated the country’s farmed and wild stocks. It wasn’t until the farms arrived – and grew in numbers and scale – that the problems really arose. Bear that in mind as the fish farmers spew their inevitable tripe in the coming days and weeks.

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While Miller continues to search for another mystery virus that very well could be killing wild sockeye – referred to a different stages as salmon leukemia or a parvovirus, which was the focus of her testimony earlier this year at the Inquiry - the real bombshell from yesterday was her very recent discovery of a third deadly virus affecting both farmed and wild salmon in BC.

Miller revealed that she had been invited in recent months to some farms in Clayoquot Sound owned by Canadian farmed salmon producer Creative Salmon, to see if she could help them get to the bottom of a mystery jaundice condition afflicting many of their fish. As an aside, Miller went out of her way to commend Creative Salmon for their open engagement with her, calling them at one point, “a very forward-thinking and cooperative company.”

Her experience with the rest of the industry has been quite the opposite. Miller related how Mary-Ellen Walling, head lobbyist for the BC industry, had reneged on a handshake deal made with Miller as she was about to take the stand the last time around at the Inquiry. Up until that point the BC Salmon Farmers’ Association had been obstructing all efforts to obtain fresh samples of their fish for testing – but in the glare of the media spotlight brought about by Miller’s appearance at the Commission, they’d promised at the last minute to share fish with her lab. Well, that didn’t last long, as Walling recently backtracked and refused to provide samples, insisting Miller stick to studying wild fish for now.
Miller related similar difficulties in getting samples from the Province’s farmed fish health auditor – explaining in tragicomic fashion how the samples they did eventually send over were thawed and thus totally degraded and useless to her.

Back to Clayoquot Sound and this new virus Miller discovered there. When she was invited to test Creative Salmon’s farmed Chinook salmon, Miller came up with two shocking findings: 1. A full 25% of these fish tested positive for ISAv (so there you have it – farmed fish in BC with ISAv, contrary to the claims of the Province’s fish health audit office and industry that after thousands of test over the years, they’re just sure it isn’t in their fish!); 2. A second virus known as piscine rheovirus – the cause of a deadly disease called HSMI (Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation).

HSMI has devastated farmed fish before in Norway – Dr. Nylund confirmed that it caused a 10% mortality rate and 100% morbidity in Norwegian farmed fish when it hit there a number of years ago. Miller not only confirmed the existence of the virus that causes this disease in Creative Salmon’s fish but subsequently found it in Fraser River sockeye as well! Scientific inquiries are generally staid and technical affairs, as anyone who’s attended the Cohen Commission much can attest – but this revelation hit the room like a lighting bolt.

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That difference turns on the Precautionary Principle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle) – a point I myself raised on a conference call with the CFIA when their mouthpieces were telling media that “ISA is not in BC.” Miller poignantly summed up this divide in her testimony – and so it is to her whom the last word goes: “Their approach is to make sure that it’s not there; my approach is to ask if there’s any chance that it is there.”

The Cohen Commission continues its special hearings into ISAv today and Monday, before closing its doors for good.

[winchester284]

It's worthwhile listening to this tape: particularly from approximately the 7.5 minute point.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/1221254309/ID=2178690939

The fish samples that Dr Kibenge tested and found ISAV in were then confiscated by CFIA and retested. DFO and CFIA along with the government spokesmen came out and said that they found no signs of ISAV in the samples. When the CFIA scientists were questioned about the tests, they stated that they couldn't find ISAV because the samples had deteriorated to the point they were unusable. Meaning that no valid tests were actually done to be able to confirm or dispute Dr Kibenge's tests!

That's a whole different story than "There was no ISAV found!" Then CFIA and DFO went on a campaign to search Dr Kibenge's labs to try and find something in his lab that they could point to and tell the world that his testing capability was inferior. This is the same Dr that was capable enough to discover the ISAV in the Chilean fish farms.

What a web of lies! Bottom line is, ISAV exists in BC.