Thursday, January 27, 2011

Farm Salmon Virus

------------------from Alexandra Morton LINK
Norwegian companies are operating in Chile and a Norwegian strain of the Infectious Salmon Anemia virus (ISAv) has spread through the industry causing its collapse in 2008/9. Every country with Norwegian salmon feedlots now has ISA, but this was the first time no one could argue wild fish had infected the farm salmon, as the current Norwegian strain could not have reached Chile in wild fish. As the enormous Chilean farm salmon supply dwindled, the global price of farm salmon increased actually benefiting some of the Norwegian companies operating in Chile. Although the industry is now moving into pristine Chilean waters the virus is following them, suggesting it could now be in a wild species of fish and Chile is permanently contaminated. Chilean production remains a fraction of what it was a few years ago.

One hundred eighty tonnes of ISA infected Chilean salmon were processed in November 2010. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears to consider ISA infected salmon safe for human consumption, but a group of Chilean Senators have become concerned and filed a petition to prohibit sale of ISA infected salmon for human consumption. The virus is reportedly in the same family as the flu. --------------
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