More ISA on Canada’s East Coast?
In contrast to repeated sampling of farmed and wild salmon on Canada’s West Coast having found no signs of the damaging disease there, another farm on the other side of the country is under suspicion for harbouring the ISA virus. On Friday last week, VOCM Local News Now provided more details;
It will likely be early next week before the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is able to confirm the possibility of Infectious Salmon Anaemia at a Grey Aquaculture facility at Goblin Cove on the south coast. The facility has been quarantined and measures have been taken to ensure that any illness, if confirmed, does not spread to other fish farms. Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association Executive Director Cyr Couturier says if disease is found, the fish will be destroyed.
Couturier says while ISA poses no risk to humans, it can be quite devastating for an aquaculture facility.
He says in the case of ISA, which is a notifiable disease, some compensation is provided, but companies do lose money.
Last year ISA was identified at a number of aquaculture operations on the south coast, and thousands of fish were destroyed.
