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[Novabonker]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/21/bc-cfia-salmon-virus.html



   

Federal official are working to confirm reports that a potentially devastating salmon virus has been detected in West Coast wild salmon stocks

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is investigating recent reports that infectious salmon anaemia has been detected in wild sockeye salmon in British Columbia," said a statement issued by federal officials on Friday morning.

Simon Fraser University Prof. Rick Routledge announced earlier this week the highly infectious virus had been detected in two wild sockeye smolts collected on B.C.'s central coast

Federal official say they are now working closely with the Atlantic Veterinary College, which conducted initial testing for Routledge, to confirm the results.

"If the disease is confirmed through this analysis, the CFIA will, in consultation with partners and stakeholders, identify and take appropriate next steps," said the statement.

"In Canada, infectious salmon anaemia is a 'federally reportable disease.' This means that all suspected cases of the disease must be immediately reported to the CFIA. The disease poses no risk to people."

Alexandra Morton, a biologist and longtime critic of salmon farms, says the European strain of the virus could only have come from the farmed Atlantic salmon in the area, and it could have a devastating impact on the province's wild salmon and herring.

But experts point out the source of the virus remains unproven, and the disease has never been detected in farmed salmon stocks on the West Coast.

[StillAqua]

You know why the Feds stepped in now.......because it poses a risk to the salmon farmers production.

[Every Day]

I REALLY wish people were more informed on issues like this.

I would first off like to say I am not for salmon farming, although I am not 100% against it either.
My opinions have changed drastically on the issue throughout my education with prof's both for and against it. Some good, some bad things.

This whole article is a crock of you know what.

First of all... since when do sockeye smolts migrate out at this time of year? Why is this just being brought to the surface NOW when it was most likely found back in the spring? Good question to ask yourself (especially with the Cohen Inquiry happening now, etc).

Next step, why must they show a picture of a dead, spawned out sockeye at the top of the page? This virus was detected in smolts... all that picture does is contribute to fear mongering and making people believe that salmon died from that particular virus.

And then take into account that there are 4 strains of this virus, each are genetically IDENTICAL in appearance and genetic code, but are found in different places around the world (diff strains) and have different symptoms (1 of these strains can't even actually cause disease!). How do they know they have the European strain, let alone one that makes fish sick ?

Lastly... many of you, along with the general public would not know. It is IMPOSSIBLE for pacific salmon to be affected by ISA. Their immune systems are able to stop it from making them sick. This being said, the DEAD virus can still be found within them. So therefore the virus found is sockeye smolts may have been there yes, but it would not have done any damage to these fish. Many tests have been carried out with this particular virus, and only ATLANTIC salmon are effected by it. Some other organisms, such as mussels and haddock can be carriers, but again without any ill effects.

Also how is it possible for the virus to be brought here from Europe? Importation of Atlantic's and eggs has been ILLEGAL since 2003, and it's just showing up now? Quite honestly it's impossible, and if they indeed did find it in smolts, it was already here to begin with. It can't just magically appear in fresh water, and since there is no vertical transmission possible (parent to offspring) the smolts would have had to picked it up where they were coming from.

If anything in this case, it is the Atlantic's in trouble. If pacific salmon are indeed carries of this virus now, it could pose a huge problem for the industry and cost millions of dollars if Atlantic's were to get infected with it. It CANNOT make pacific salmon sick, and there WILL NOT be an effect on wild stocks. All this is, is a media hype trying to scare people about salmon farms when there isn't even solid proof to go along with it. Did I mention they no longer have the "infected smolts" for a second sampling? 

Cheers,
Dan

[Dave]

Nice post Dan.
What a sad, sad situation we would have if you're correct in your thought that this latest media release of the “finally found in BC”  killer virus, that might possibly be linked to fish farms and because of that, may decimate wild salmon, was timed. 
As I understand it and you called it, Salmo species are at risk here, not Onchorhynchus.
The next few weeks are going to be fun to watch and I can't wait.

[jon5hill]

First of all... since when do sockeye smolts migrate out at this time of year? Why is this just being brought to the surface NOW when it was most likely found back in the spring? Good question to ask yourself (especially with the Cohen Inquiry happening now, etc).

Lab results often take a long time to get back to you. Also, is it entirely inconceivable that these results were held due to some other factors, then sent in and processed? I'll answer this one for you. NO. IT ISN'T. If you had ever conducted a research project you would know these kind of logistical problems and funding considerations can delay sample processing for YEARS let alone a season. Next.

And then take into account that there are 4 strains of this virus, each are genetically IDENTICAL in appearance and genetic code, but are found in different places around the world (diff strains) and have different symptoms (1 of these strains can't even actually cause disease!). How do they know they have the European strain, let alone one that makes fish sick ?

Four strains, GENETICALLY IDENTICAL! - Wow this is a novel idea! Define strain and reconsider your ridiculous logic here. The strains are unique and each is slightly different genetically. Had you done any homework at all you would know there is a non virulent null form of the virus that can be present in lots of organisms. Under certain conditions (often stress), viruses can be transcribed by the cells machinery and exhibit virulence. Although based on your armchair biologist perspective, you don't seem to take this into consideration, yet proclaim IMPOSSIBILITY about european strain determination. They sequenced it and compared it to known sequences. Have you ever used BLAST before? DOUBT IT. Next.

It is IMPOSSIBLE for pacific salmon to be affected by ISA. Their immune systems are able to stop it from making them sick. This being said, the DEAD virus can still be found within them. So therefore the virus found is sockeye smolts may have been there yes, but it would not have done any damage to these fish. Many tests have been carried out with this particular virus, and only ATLANTIC salmon are effected by it. Some other organisms, such as mussels and haddock can be carriers, but again without any ill effects.

This is a beauty. You are effectively stating quite strongly that viruses can not change. Have you done even rudimentary research about viruses? Yet "DEAD" viruses can still be found inside them. Viruses are one of the few things that defy live/dead classification. How can something that isn't even really alive be dead? Viruses are not much more than ribonucleic acids encased in protein. no cells. no cellular machinery. nothing. Dug yourself into a nice hole here..  Your response is very naive, ignorant, and filled with poorly researched nonsense. I am enraged that you would post with such strong wording and flamboyant confidence while failing to do the most elementary amount of research. Is it entirely inconceivable that this insanely virulent viral particle when exposed to atlantic salmon may change? NOPE. NOT INCONCEIVABLE AT ALL. Does the precautionary principle not apply to you and your baseless assertions? Doesn't look like it. Next.

Also how is it possible for the virus to be brought here from Europe? Importation of Atlantic's and eggs has been ILLEGAL since 2003, and it's just showing up now? Quite honestly it's impossible, and if they indeed did find it in smolts, it was already here to begin with. It can't just magically appear in fresh water, and since there is no vertical transmission possible (parent to offspring) the smolts would have had to picked it up where they were coming from.

Atlantic eggs have been brought here multiple times prior to and after 2003. saying "Quite honestly" isn't a very strong argument. Vertical transmission hasn't been ruled out in Pacific salmonids either. Please don't post about things pretending to have some background in this when you clearly don't. Next.

If anything in this case, it is the Atlantic's in trouble. If pacific salmon are indeed carries of this virus now, it could pose a huge problem for the industry and cost millions of dollars if Atlantic's were to get infected with it. It CANNOT make pacific salmon sick, and there WILL NOT be an effect on wild stocks. All this is, is a media hype trying to scare people about salmon farms when there isn't even solid proof to go along with it. Did I mention they no longer have the "infected smolts" for a second sampling? 

CANNOT. WILL NOT. This is seriously strong wording for someone who is assuming viruses don't ever change. Insinuating that Rick Routledge would LIE (which is what you are insinuating) about something as potentially serious as an ISA outbreak is LUDICROUS. Much like the rest of your post. Good Riddance.

[rjs]

I really just wanna say get these pens out of the ocean !
NOW !!!!

the way our government reacts.... It will be way to late !
but they will be able to dam all the rivers and sell it cheaper to the states, then us in Canada

[alwaysfishn]

Everyday, When you make comments about an article you need to try and limit the points you are trying to make and develop them better, rather than throwing out all sorts of jabs without being able to credibly back up any of them.

There are 2 parts to this, first the science and the reaction of Federal authorities to it. Second is the journalism which helps the story make it's way to the public as opposed to being hidden in some science journals. Without articles like this there would be no initiative to investigate this.

Great analysis of a poorly written bit of illogical crap, Jon5hill.

[Dogbreath]

Jon5hill-Thanks for the  informed response-much appreciated.

[StillAqua]

Every Day,
If you read the lab report below, the samples were collected in May-July. They weren't analyzed until October using molecular genetic methods. The virus was detected in the heart muscle. It's the European genotype.

http://www.wildsalmonfirst.org/sites/default/files/files/OIE%20report%20by%20Kibenge(1).pdf

Viruses mutate and the ISA virus is particularly known for mutating into more virulent forms in pensites. That's why it is so dangerous to the industry.

Enough said.....

[BwiBwi]

Dr. Fred Kibenge has been studying ISAV since '90s.  He's published numerous research journals on ISAV.  It's a shame no DNA sequencing was performed to determine exact strain and rate of mutation.  Otherwise it would be possible to know how many generation these viruses has been here and determine which year these viruses were introduced into BC.

[Every Day]

Jon...

1) Sampling does indeed take time. As I understand however, so grow a culture of virus takes up to weeks, NOT 4 MONTHS. Leaving samples sitting for that amount of time won't be good for proper diagnoses anyway.

2)I did not say it was IMPOSSIBLE that they had the European strain. I said they may not know. As said before, all 4 strains of ISA have the same RNA sequence, however some carry different messages within the RNA sequence. As said before, one of these strains does not cause any form of pathogenesis and won't cause fish to get sick (even Atlantic's). You do raise a valid point however that a fish could be carrying a virulent from of the virus and not show any symptoms until under stress. I would like to challenge you, or anyone else to find a scientific paper showing ISA causing DISEASE in pacific salmon.

3)Virus' can indeed change, and mutate quite quickly (very short time between generations and you're right, nothing but a sequence of RNA). However, I have not heard of many virus' that spread between different species. Once again, if you or anyone else can provide research that show Onchorhynchus contracting the disease and becoming sick and dying from it, then I will eat my words. Just because a Virus is found within a pacific salmon does not mean it is doing any harm, in fact it doesn't even mean that it can or will do any harm. It is just present, not causing disease. I was only stating known carries of the virus, apparently pacific salmon can now be added to the list. Although carriers, does this mean it will ravage out coast and kill wild stocks? I highly doubt it.

4)Would you like to provide research of vertical transmission being ruled out? I'm sure I can go to a few of my prof's and find the papers/experiments (although maybe done in the past) where they could not pass  the virus from parent to offspring under ideal conditions. Maybe the virus has mutated with pacific salmon and can be passed down, but once again, how did it get here? The virions only last in water for 48 hours. If that is the case there must have been carriers this whole time, assuming Atlantic salmon. If that is the case, why was it never found until now? What changed? They test up to 4800 Atlantic's every quarter, and have never found one with ISA present. Since this atricle came out, more have been tested, and still nothing.

5)Well I have never been one to believe everything I see or read in the news. I have seen both sides of this story and have been doing a BSc in Fisheries and Aquaculture for the last 3 years. I am currently being taught by a prof who has been granted 100's of thousands of dollars to do work on disease transmission from farmed to wild salmon. He has been put directly onto the sea lice case, mainly studying their ability to pass on bacteria/viruses from farmed to wild salmon and vice versa. Most of the information I get is from him, guess you are also ludicrous for calling someone with a Masters and 20+ years of fish health science a complete moron as well. Scientists will side with both sides of the story, they are just like us, everyone with a different opinion.

As said before, it is the Atlantic's that are in trouble if it is around. Although possible, chances of it being found in 2 fish, and then mutating into a epidemic virus that will kill off all our Pacific salmon seems a little far stretched to me. That's my stand. Although I don't agree with a lot of salmon farming, I'll give the win to them on this one, especially since you CANNOT prove that it started with Atlantic's since you have not yet (even after all this) to find an infected one.

[shuswapsteve]

One thing that needs to be mentioned is that fish farms in BC routinely screen for ISAV and eggs that are imported, the presumed source of the virus, go into quarantine and are screened regularly until such point as the fish that developed from the eggs are considered pathogen free by Canadian standards.  The source of all the egg imports of the last ten or so years has been certified ISAV free, and although it's disease screening protocol is different from the Canadian protocol, it meets EU and OIE standards.  In addition, the testing done to identify the presence of the virus in these two Sockeye smolts is the same test done on farm fish.  All ISA tests done on Atlantic Salmon morts have come up negative for the virus (Exhibit #1471, Cohen Commission).

Our knowledge of diseases in wild fish on this coast is poor.  Most of our knowledge in this area has been obtained from hatcheries and net pen aquaculture.  This was clearly identified at the inquiry by those involved (read the testimony).  It is important to do the appropriate sampling for both farmed and wild salmon to determine the magnitude and extent of the virus.  Until this happens I think it is unwise to start jumping to conclusions.  You just cannot just start making links without doing the work.  If we this is going to be done it should be done right – without all the hype that is being tagged to this.  Look no further than the hype created with "yellow pink salmon".  Apparently, we already have an ISA epidemic on our hands but we have yet to determine more about this.  If anyone should be concerned it should be the salmon farmers as ISA is a proven risk to their industry.

Dr. Gary Marty wades into the ISA issue: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Radio/Local_Shows/Maritimes/Information_Morning_(NS)/2035075335/ID=2155815690

[StillAqua]

Rainbow trout/steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are known to be infected by ISAV, show liver and haematocrit effects, but it doesn't seem to kill them outright in culture (although additional stress may do the job in the wild). No reason other Oncs can't be infected (Chinook cells are used for culturing ISAV). although they may mostly serve as a reservoirs for the virus. (Replication of the infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). A. Nylund, A.M. Kvenseth, B. Krossøy, K. Hodneland. Journal of Fish Diseases, Volume 20, Issue 4, pages 275–279, July 1997)

As ShuswapSteve said our knowledge of fish disease, particlarly viral diseases, is still in its infancy. To say "there's no evidence...." usually just means no one has researched it in detail. It's silly to take a stand now either way based on the evidence available except to say they need get off their butts and work on this. Human viruses have fooled us many times in the past even with enormous investments of time and money........but we don't fully understand the wild fish let alone their viral hitchhikers.

[rjs]

now found in coho in the fraser ?


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/science/pacific-salmon-virus-raises-worries-about-industry.html?_r=2&src=recg

[rjs]

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/