Key Document: Global Fish Farm Diseases - Updated June 11, 2013

Dr. Fred Kibenge, the world expert OIE lab for ISA, has stated that one third to one half of all aquaculture product is lost to disease. That means $32 to $49 Billion annually that is lost to disease.

See this earlier post for ISA disease world wide, and also to the link to Kibenge's powerpoint presentation on ISA: http://www.fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2011/10/isa-infections-world-wide-sine-1984.html.

The purpose of this post is to simply report global disease stats as they become available, and thus show just how much disease that fish farms have around the world. Fish farms need to be on land where they cannot pass disease to wild fish around the world, nor use the ocean as a free open sewer. This list will grow very long:

34. 35. 36, Canada, Atlantic salmon, ISA, IPN, Viral Haemorrhagic Septicemi. New Foundland, NB, BC. http://inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/diseases/reportable/2013/eng/1339174937153/1339175227861

33. Scotland 2012, 8.5 million dead salmon. http://www.robedwards.com/2013/02/farmed-salmon-killed-by-disease-leaps-to-85-million.html. Mostly AGD, 10% of entire crop.
"A mountain of 13,627 tonnes of dead fish had to be disposed of in 2012 by 230 fish farms along the west coast and on the islands, compared to 9,717 tonnes in 2011 and 7,159 tonnes in 2010. The worst problems were in Shetland, where 2.4 million salmon died."

32. Chile, ISA, April 30, 2013. It looks like another epidemic is about to burst forth. The 2008 cost $2 billion. http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2013/04/30/chile-disease-problems-concern-marine-harvest/#.UaFB9bVQGQA

31 Norway, ISA, http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/20313/possible-isa-outbreak-on-troms-salmon-farm

30. Japan, viral haemorrhagic septicemia.  http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/20087/viral-haemorrhagic-septicaemia-confirmed-in-japan

29. Norway, salmon alphavirus, Cermaq, Mainstream, and suspects PD pancreatic disease, Jan 2013.  http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=19199

28. Chile, ISA, Ap 25, 2013 - concern over large amounts of anti-biotics being used in fish farms to fight Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) which is thought to have never left the Los Lagos and Aysen regions. http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/20061/concern-over-chiles-antibiotic-use-isa-cases-not-reported

27. Norway, ISA, Ap 26, 2013.  Kolvik Odden in Vestvågøy.ISA found in all samples. http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/20076/infectious-salmon-anaemia-detected-in-lofoten. 

26. Australia, Tasmania, Feb 22, 2013, Amoebic Gill Disease, affects farmed salmon worldwide. In Australia, it costs the industry up to A$230M a year. http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/19547/breakthrough-in-amoebic-gill-disease. Some wild species seem to be immune.

25. UK, USA, Apr 18, 2013 Rosette Agent. http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/19963/threat-of-rosette-agent-monitored-in-britains-rivers.

24. Norway, pancreatic disease, PD. Mar 2013.Transmission dynamics of PD in Norwegian fjord. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfd.12090/abstract.

23. Worldwide, Journal of Fish Diseases, May 2013. Have a look at all the diseases of fish farms.  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfd.2013.36.issue-5/issuetoc;jsessionid=179E2205255BF7501A38992D67BFF7FD.d01t02.

22. Chile, ISA, Apr 18, 2013. Sernapesca has begun an intensive inspection of all farms north of the Aysen region which has recently had two outbreaks of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA). http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/19994/sernapesca-surveys-farms-north-of-aysen-for-isa.

21. Tropical Third World fish farms, a variety of diseases. This important, far-reaching paper shows the deadly result of fish farm diseases in tropical countries that cannot take complete industry disease kills. The use of antibiotics is leading to antibiotic resistance in diseases.  http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/fisheries/news/disease-threatens-aquaculture-in-developing-world.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=en_news.  Martin Krkosek adds that, as a precaution measure, areas of coastal waters should be designated no-farming zones in order to protect other sectors such as fisheries, tourism, and wildlife outbreaks in aquaculture.

20. Canada, BC, Grieg Seafood, furunculosis outbreak at hatchery, leading to a cull. 4Q write down of NOK 43 million. Grieg and Marine Harvest are losing money in BC.

19. Scotland, 2012. More than 8.5 Million. Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Main disease: amoebic gill disease. 13,627 metric tons of dead fish had to be disposed of by 230 fish farms along the west coast and on the islands, compared with 9717 MT in 2011 and 7159 MT in 2010. Click here to read the full story from Herald Scotland >

18. Chile, ISA, Apr 2013.An outbreak has been detected by Chile's National Fishery and Aquaculture service (Sernapesca) on a salmon farm in the Aysen region.TheFishSite Editor.

http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/19911/sernapesca-chile-detects-isa-outbreak-on-aysen-farm.

17. Cermaq, Canada, Chile. CDN: IHN, winter ulcers (Kudoa?), fungus. CL: Caligus, SRS. Mar 3/13. See page 28,29 of Cermaq's financial report:  http://www.cermaq.com/portal/wps/wcm/connect/86dffe804cc6acd692a4d2d39ceaad15/20120919_Cermaq_CapitalMarketsDay.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.

16. Ireland, sea lice infestation Mar 2/13: http://www.fishnewseu.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9962:galway-farm-draws-formal-complaint&catid=45:scottish&Itemid=54.

15. Canada, Scotland. F20/13. Grieg Seafoods.  Furunculosis in BC. AGD in Scotland: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/19512/grieg-seafood-reports-improved-results-in-norway-weaker-in-uk-canada.

14. Canada. (Feb 20, 2013) Here are nine sites in Atlantic Canada that the CFIA has identified on its site that had ISA in 2012:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/diseases/reportable/2013/infectious-salmon-anaemia-2012-/eng/1339179653413/1339179772511.

13. Scotland, Feb11, 2013. Grieg/Marine Harvest: Ameobic Gill Disease. 'A mountain of 13,627 tonnes of dead fish had to be disposed of in 2012 by 230 fish farms along the west coast and on the islands, compared to 9,717 tonnes in 2011 and 7,159 tonnes in 2010. The worst problems were in Shetland, where 2.4 million salmon died.' http://www.robedwards.com/2013/02/farmed-salmon-killed-by-disease-leaps-to-85-million.html.

12. Canada, Chile, Cooke Aquaculture in the two countries is mired in ISA disease. It is so expensive that they have received junk bond status from Moody's: http://www.southcoasttoday.ca/content/business-poor-moodys-rating-cooke-aqua.

11. Jan 10, 2013 Chile, Marine Harvest, 110 days of production of smoked salmon had listeria. Marine Harvest announced a recall on close to a third of a year’s worth of production. Destined for Sam's Club a Walmart brand.

See: http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2013/01/10/sources-marine-harvest-plant-links-three-smoked-salmon-recalls/#.UPLTi_KQmSo


10. SCOTLAND: July, 2012 This three page government PDF lists the diseases found in fish farms: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00397960.pdf. The list includes Marine Harvest and the SSC.

Some of the diseases are: vibrio, infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN), moritella viscosis, salmonid alpha virus, haemorrhagic smolt syndrome, flavobacteria, bacterial gill disease, epitheliocystis, amoebic gill disease, cardiomyopathy syndrome, ichthyobodo.

9. CANADA: BC, July 22, 2012. Reported by the Chilliwack, Progress: “If PRV has been found in a Cultus Lake sport fish [cutthroat trout], it could be contributing to the failure of the lake’s sockeye population to return in abundance,” says Routledge. The virus may be linked to other diseases found on fish farms, he said, such as the heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI), which hit Norwegian salmon farms and can kill up to 20 per cent of infected fish.

Provincial fish pathologist, Dr. Gary Marty, noted that 75% of farmed fish tested had the PRV virus. 2% died.

See:  http://www.theprogress.com/news/163480656.html.

8. SCOTLAND: Reported by Undercurrents: Scottish Salmon Company (SSC), the UK’s largest independent salmon producer, is cutting its production forecast from 25,000 metric tons to 22,000t, as it continues to encounter problems with amoebic gill disease (AGD). See:

http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2012/11/29/ssc-cuts-2012-salmon-harvest-forecast-on-disease-issues/#.UNZM-ayQmSo. Dec 22, 2012.

7. CANADA: In the past year, as well reported in Canadian media, fish farms in BC have been found to have serious viruses: ISA, HSMI, IHN and Kudoa among them. ISA has also been found in Nova Scotia, and New Foundland. the NL case is doubly sad as this is a pristine ocean with fish farms only being 'welcomed' in in the past year. 

ISA in NL: July 13, 2012: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/07/13/nl-delay-destroying-farmed-salmon-infected-713.html

PRV in freshwater trout, BC: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Discovery+deadly+salmon+virus+freshwater+fish+puts+pressure+conduct+wider/6959173/story.html

IHN in BC:  Grieg Seafood, Culloden Point, Aug 3 stock exchange notification.

See: http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/alexandra_morton/2012/09/dear-sue-farlinger-wishing-you-the-guts-to-step-up.html.

IHN in Clayoquot Sound, BC: To come.

6. Chile: Dec 24, 2012  Farmed salmon are very susceptible to disease. Vicente Castro from Chile, defended his thesis on June 29, 2012 entitled “Aerobic exercise training for improving robustness of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)” at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. His supervisors were Senior Researcher Dr. Harald Takle from Nofima and Professor Dr. Ståle Helland from the Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences and Nofima.The chief benefit of cardio training is reduced susceptibility to diseases.


See:  http://www.thefishsite.com/articles/1446/aerobic-exercise-gives-more-robust-smolt.

Note that the in-ocean, closed Agrimarine system has a directed current, and this makes the fish 'exercise' and also helps move them to maturity sooner.

5. IRELAND: Sep 4, 2012: Fish farm feces cause algae blooms that in shell fish harvest have lead to 300 severe human illnesses. "SBB supports fish farming but only in Closed Containment Systems." " In a statement issued on the release of the last closure orders by the Marine Institute, SBB said ‘‘While fish farming is not the only cause of the record breaking blooms, the scientific evidence makes it clear that open pen fish farming in these Bays with their poor circulation of water must come to an end’’.

See:  http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/18125/record-algae-blooms-linked-to-fish-farms. 

4. Norway, Dec 17, 2012 Thesis of Koestan Gadan. Stress causes increased amount of cortisol in farmed salmon and this makes them susceptible to discease, in this study IPN, infectious pancreatic necrosis. Stress can be as simple as the density of fish in fish farms and has been the most costly disease found in Norwegian fish farms for many years.

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

See: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html.

3. Canada, a new case of ISA in NF, Dec 20, 2012.    The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus at an aquaculture site on the south coast of  Newfoundland and Labrador.

See: http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&country=0&special=&monthyear=&day=&id=57706&ndb=1&df=0.

2. Canada, ISA, Dec 2012. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed the province's second outbreak of infectious salmon anemia this year. This latest outbreak of ISA, which can kill fish but is not harmful to humans, has occurred at a Cooke Aquaculture facility in Hermitage Bay, the CFIA confirmed on Tuesday.

 In July, (2012) 450,000 salmon were destroyed following an ISA outbreak at a Gray Aqua facility on Newfoundland's south coast, causing a loss of $10- to $13-million in sales.

See:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/12/19/nl-second-salmon-anemia-outbreak-1219.html.

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Koestan Gadan has studied the consequences of stress on the innate immune defence system of the salmon and how it makes the fish more susceptible to disease. She chose the IPN virus (infectious pancreatic necrosis) as a model virus for her research. IPN is the cause of considerable losses in Norwegian salmon farming and has for many years been the most frequently diagnosed disease for this fish.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

"Studies on stress and innate immunity in relation to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)"

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

"Studies on stress and innate immunity in relation to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)"

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp[[[

"Studies on stress and innate immunity in relation to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)"

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Cand.Scient. Koestan Gadan defended her doctoral research at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science on 17th December with a thesis entitled: "Studies on stress and innate immunity in relation to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)"

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

Cand.Scient. Koestan Gadan defended her doctoral research at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science on 17th December with a thesis entitled: "Studies on stress and innate immunity in relation to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)"

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-effect-stress-atlantic-salmon-congenital.html#jCp

1. Marine Harvest faces anti-monopoly charges in Scotland:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/salmon-giant-caught-on-european-competition-hook-as-deal-nets-36-of-scottish-production.19729303.


Marine Harvest has so far bought 49.5% of Polish-based Morpol, although it is hoping to buy the rest of the company in the coming weeks. Morpol's Scottish salmon farms are concentrated in Orkney and Shetland but its main business is salmon smoking, most of which happens in Poland.
The deal will mean that four of the big five salmon producers in Scotland are controlled by Norwegian interests, leaving the Edinburgh-based Scottish Salmon Company as the only exception. Comment: this is what fish farms do around the world.

DFO Refuses to Admit ISA Virus is in BC Wild Salmon - Dec 5, 2012

Go read this article in the Ottawas Citizen on Dec 4. It is a stunning refusal to admit DFO knows there is ISA in wild and farmed salmon in BC:

 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/confirmed+disease+salmon/7646808/story.html. 

Then come back and read this rebuttal:

DFO ADM Kevin Stringer’s assertion that there is no ISA in BC salmon is simply shocking. It is stunning that DFO would say so many things that it knows are not true. I am sorry to say it, but, Stringer should be fired, and Minister Keith Ashfield should resign.

Here is why:

1. There are stringent federal regulations in place to protect Canada's aquatic species, both wild and farmed, from disease. WRONG. In fact, DFO has gutted the Fisheries Act of its fish and fish habitat provisions. Ditto for the Environmental Protection Act. And 200 scientists are being fired.

Furthermore, the enforcement of the regulations is farmed out to the BC testing system that is so cosy with fish farms that it tells them when it will come out and look at the farms. DFO does not do its own testing and relies on the BC system – see its unreliability below.

2.     To date, contrary to some media reports, there has not been a confirmed case of ISA in British Columbia salmon, either wild or farmed. WRONG. In fact there are hundreds of thousands of farmed fish that have been confirmed to have ISA, and wild sockeye back to 1988, and chum, Chinook and pink from the Fraser River. In addition, the farmed salmon have HSMI, which also can only have come from Europe - Creative Seafood in Clayoquot Sound. This is DFO’s own research by Dr. Kristi Miller. Her confirmation of this is in the Cohen Commissin evidentiary hearings into fish farm disease in December 2011 – 25% of the farmed Chinook have both viruses, that is, 125,000 fish per farm.

DFO continues to make this claim, based on the earliest of two sockeye fry of 48 that tested positive for ISA by the Kibenge lab in PEI, that is the World Organization Animal Health (OIE) certified lab for ISA in the western hemisphere. The Nylund, Norway lab is the only other OIE certified lab in the world for ISA. It retested the 48 samples finding one weak positive and its notes say there is a problem in BC. The DFO Moncton lab retested the degraded samples and reached a finding of ‘inconclusive’. Minister Ashfield changed this finding to negative, and has stuck saying no, something he knows is untrue.

3.     Upon the allegations that ISA had been found in wild Pacific salmon, the government reacted quickly and tested the samples using Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Gulf Fisheries Centre, which meets internationally recognized standards for ISA testing; results from our laboratory can be considered valid. WRONG. This refers only to the first two sockeye fry, and the DFO Moncton lab does not meet the OIE standards. In fact, in the Cohen testimony, Miller, Nylund and Kibenge discussed that lab and found that it uses old equipment and could not find ISA in sockeye samples from Miller. Furthermore, Miller retested the samples using the Gagne, Moncton procedures and could not confirm ISA. This means the DFO lab is not up to international standards. The results cannot be considered valid.

4.     The Government of Canada, in collaboration with the province of British Columbia, tested all samples related to the suspected ISA investigation in B.C. WRONG. There have been many wild salmon testing positive for ISA at either the Kibenge or Nylund labs. Furthermore, this is DFO only referring to the first sockeye samples discussed above, not the extra wild salmon tested later. The BC public are so concerned with DFO/BC testing system/CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) that we have anti-ed up $27,000 ourselves to have fish tested.

Furthermore, the Cohen testimony of Miller, Nylund and Kibenge also stated that the BC system said it was using one test, when, in fact, it was not. In addition, it was using a probe developed by an in-house grad student that has never been verified by other scientists, like say, Nylund and Kibenge. This renders the testing of the 4,700 farmed fish as negative for ISA simply unreliable. All the fish need to be tested again - by an arms length lab like Kibenge and Nylund.

5.     Based on the final results, there have been no confirmed cases of the disease in wild or farmed salmon in B.C. In recent years, the Government of Canada and B.C. have tested more than 5,000 wild and farmed salmon in B.C. for infectious salmon anemia. WRONG. Refer back to item 4.

6. None has ever tested positive. ISA poses no risk to people. Pacific salmon appear to be resistant to the disease. WRONG. Refer back to earlier items. There have been hundreds of thousands of confirmed ISA virus-carrying farmed and wild salmon. The doomsday scenario is that ISA may wipe out all the 10 species of wild Pacific salmonids from California north to Alaska and all the way down to Korea. This extinction threat is real and DFO/CFIA/BC Governments are refusing to admit it and get on with getting rid of the fish farms diseases such as ISA, HSMI and IHN.

In Clayoquot Sound, Chinook stocks are on the edge of extinction and there are 22 fish farms in this non-flushing body of ocean. Here are DFO’s own 2012 numbers for wild Chinook: Bedwell – 93; Moyeha – 0; Tranquil – 11; Megin – 35; Cypre – 362. They stand no chance against as many as 20,000,000 farmed salmon, each of 22 farms releasing 60 billion virus particles per hour.

Furthermore, Pacific salmon are not resistant to the disease. See this article for its link to science saying that wild salmon also get the several dozen viral, bacterial and fungal diseases that farmed salmon get: http://fishfarmnews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/fish-farms-infect-wild-bc-salmon-may-13.html. 

7.     Canadians can have full confidence in the testing results from the Gulf Fisheries Centre, as they can in the Government of Canada's serious and ongoing commitment to protecting the health of Canada's wild and farmed fish from aquatic animal diseases. WRONG. As above, this is stunningly wrong and all the 10 species of pacific salmonids, perhaps a billion fish, are in peril from this refusal to admit the diseases have been brought to the Pacific Ocean. I used to work for government. When the facts came out you modified what you had said before, so that it accommodated the new information. You did not simply continue saying what you knew was untrue. Ashfield should resign.

You may recall that east coast cod were lost because DFO did not follow its own science. The same thing is happening to west coast salmon. The solution is simple: put fish farms on land, or send them back to Norway. There are only 820 actual jobs in BC, less than 0.2% of GPP – against the backdrop of a billion wild Pacific salmon.

Please note: I won the 2012 Art Downs Award for environmental writing for my continued research into the science and diseases of farmed salmon.