PD is coming under control in Scotland

 Siri Elise Dybdal

In its 2012 annual report, Marine Harvest – Scotland’s biggest salmon producer - stated that throughout last year, there were no sites diagnosed with PD in Scotland.

“Our operations in Scotland and Ireland experienced minimal losses to PD in 2012.

“The reduction in losses has been a result of an extensive review of risk factors and implementation of mitigation approaches such as reduced number of fish per pen, reduced handling of fish and operational zoning,” the company said.

Dr. Marian McLoughlin, an independent fish health consultant and highly regarded specialist in PD, says a lot of sites which suffered severe PD in the past now have no problems with the disease: “In Scotland and Ireland, the impact is now minimal.”

According to Dr McLoughlin, the number of samples coming in to the AFBINI Fish Disease Unit in Northern Ireland, which does the majority of PD diagnostic testing for the Scottish industry, is also significantly reduced - “Which is the best proof that PD is coming under control for the first time in the last 30 years!” She adds.

However, Dr McLoughlin says the virus could return, if the industry is not vigilant: “I worry that PD will go off the radar - that the industry will think it is not around anymore and it is not worth spending the money on the vaccine. That would be a mistake. It could come back, maybe not in the first year, but eventually,” she warns.