Virus Forces Quarantine, Fish Kill at Mainstream Salmon Farm Near Tofino

Share

Read this story from CBC.ca on the quarantining of a fish farm owned by Mainstream Canada in Dixon Bay near Tofino, BC, following the discovery of an outbreak of the lethal IHN virus. (May 18, 2012)

B.C.’s salmon farming industry is on high alert after the discovery of a lethal fish virus at one farm on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has quarantined the farm at Dixon Bay, north of Tofino. Mainstream Canada, which runs the operation, says it will destroy its entire stock of 560,000 one-kilo-sized salmon, to prevent the disease from spreading.

The company says Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) was detected during routine testing May 14.

“This is code red,” Mainstream spokeswoman Laurie Jensen says.

IHN attacks the fish’s blood, and usually kills the animal within a week of exposure. It can kill up to 100 per cent of the populations that become infected, and it spreads rapidly.

“This is not good news for the fish or for the companies.” Jenson says. “We will contain this however way we can.”

Jensen says boats and visitors have been barred from the site, while the company awaits results from the National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory which is attempting to culture the virus from farm samples.

But Jensen says an independent lab has already used samples to sequence the virus, which spreads rapidly if not contained.

“So we are just going to depopulate,” Jensen says, adding, “we will lose money. It’s in the millions. There’s a lot of money at stake, but money is not our issue right now.”

Jensen says the company will also have to destroy any equipment that can’t be disinfected, such as nets.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/05/17/bc-salmon-farm-quarantined-lethal-virus.html

Share

About Damien Gillis

Damien Gillis is a Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker with a focus on environmental and social justice issues - especially relating to water, energy, and saving Canada's wild salmon - working with many environmental organizations in BC and around the world. He is the co-founder, along with Rafe Mair, of The Common Sense Canadian, and a board member of both the BC Environmental Network and the Haig-Brown Institute.