TOFINO An outbreak of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) virus has been confirmed at a Clayoquot Sound salmon farm. This is the first time that IHN has ever occurred on farms on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The outbreak at Pacific National Aquaculture's Mussel Rock site, the twelfth confirmed case of IHN in BC waters in recent weeks, is just one more example of why provincial government plans to lift the moratorium on industry expansion are a big mistake.
"The presence of large concentrations of diseased Atlantic salmon in our ocean poses a serious risk to wild salmon," said Melissa Nelson, spokesperson for the Friends of Clayoquot Sound. "This latest disaster is yet another demonstration that the industry is not sustainable. The provincial government's decision to lift the moratorium when the risks are so apparent is a serious mistake."
IHN is a viral disease that is transmitted through the blood and mucous of diseased fish. While it does occur naturally in the wild, the presence of large concentrations of fish in open netcages allows for rapid spread of the disease amongst the fish and into the marine environment. Fish farms can amplify the disease beyond anything we would see in nature.
The diseased fish will need to be killed and brought to a composting facility. If blood or mucous spill into the water there is a serious risk of spreading IHN further.
The IHN outbreak is the latest in a string of disasters at PNA's salmon farms in Clayoquot Sound. In January of this year, tens of thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped into the wild. Last summer, a toxic algae bloom, likely resulting from fish farm sewage and killed 100,000 farmed salmon at a farm, fouling the water and air of the pristine sound.
"The salmon farming industry must be held accountable for the safety of wild salmon and the ocean ecosystem," said Nelson. "They have to stop putting Atlantic salmon into Pacific waters and move to land-based closed containment systems. We can't tolerate this kind of disregard for common sense any longer."
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Friends of Clayoquot Sound
PO Box 489, 331 Neill St., Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
Tel: 250-725-4218 Fax: 250-725-2527
Email: info@focs.ca
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