August 17, 2012

Million of dollars in losses due to the IHN virus.

Photo: Marine Harvest Canada

Fish farms Grieg SeafoodsĀ Culloden Point in SecheltĀ and Mainstream Canada in Clayquot Sound are culling their fish because their stocks have tested positive for the IHNĀ virus. Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) attacks the fish’s blood and can kill up to 100 percent of an infected population within a week. It also spreads quickly if the affected fish are not removed from the water.Ā Ā To reduce the risk of further infectionĀ toĀ neighbouring farms these farms are destroying their entire stocks of salmon,Ā amounting to millions of dollarsĀ in losses.

ā€œThese salmon are our passion and our livelihood, but doing the right thing has been our priority and this has involved some tough choices.ā€

Both companies say they are looking at their insurance coverage and will explore with CFIA whether any government assistance programs are available. [Read full article].

While the quarantineĀ is in place for a two week period, the industry voluntarily keeps their sites void of fish for three months.
TheĀ David Suzuki Foundation urges for shifts in salmon farming from open-net pens to closed-containment systems, to aid in controlling the contamination of disease between fish farms and the natural environmentĀ surrounding the open-net pens. (Read more here).
Posted by websitedev
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