123 replies to this topic

[___]

The last part of that article is incorrect.

"This virus doesn't infect other fish species. It certainly doesn't affect other animals that are even cold-blooded and found in these local environments and certainly it's not going that huge next leap to mammals or humans."

The ISAvirus can be carried by trout, and can also be found to effect Cod and herring. It is actually in the family called
Orthomyxoviridae.

• Influenzavirus A infects humans, other mammals, and birds, and causes all flu pandemics
• Influenzavirus B infects humans and seals
• Influenzavirus C infects humans and pigs
• Isavirus Infectious salmon anemia virus* Atlantic salmon
• Thogotovirus Thogoto virus* Tick, mosquito, mammal (including human) Dhori virus Batken virus, Dhori virus

PLUS ANOTHER FUN FACT:

The Lepeophtheirus salmonis sea louse, a small crustacean parasite that attacks the protective mucous, scales and skin of the salmon has been shown to carry the virus passively on its surface and in its digestive tract. Under laboratory conditions Lepeophtheirus salmonis has been demonstrated to passively transfer ISA.^[11] It is not known whether the Infectious salmon anemia virus can reproduce itself in the sea louse, although this is a possibility as viruses often depend on secondary vectors for transmission like the Arboviruses such as dengue fever, West Nile virus, or African swine fever virus.

[Terran]

Travis,

Great post. I absolutely agree, as I've posted.

The good "Doctor" who made the statement in the article was either clearly lacking knowledge on the subject or was deliberately providing misleading information. I would hope that it would be neither, but obviously something isn't "kosher" with his statement.

Especially, with regard to ISAv's ability to infect other fish species. Everything I have read on the virus has stated that it can infect the species you listed. (Brown trout, Rainbow Trout, Sea Run Trout, Herring, Arctic Char, Atlantic Salmon and a number of the Pacific salmons)

Strangely enough, this information is listed on the ISAv, Fact Sheet, on the CFIA's own web site.

I also wonder if anyone is testing for some of the other wonderful "Salmon Farm Infections", such as:

Piscine Reovirus (PRv)
Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNv)
Salmon Alphavirus (SAv)
Salmon Leukemia (SLv)
(To name a few. Look them up.Scary stuff.)

There are many more.

Alexandra Morton was concerned enough about the possibility of virus mutation to have started a Health Petition. Some might argue that it was alarmist and only served to further her goals, yet, I have never read anything that the woman has written to be either. Here is a link to the Topic I started on her petition: http://novascotiafis...s-your-support/.

Mutating viruses have been showing that they can "surprise" the medical community for generations. Do we really want or need to take the chance so that this (Cooke) or any company can maintain profits?

Terran

[rpen]

Great sign...wrong location! Sobey's isn't selling it, should be targeting Superstores, No Frills and SaveEasy stores!

[sdcanoe]

Sobeys is not selling it THIS TIME, probably because it was not destined for them anyway. What happens when selling ISA infected salmon becomes routine business? I would like to hear Sobeys say they will NEVER sell ISA infected salmon, until then I do not trust them any more than other stores.

[Swinsc]

I was happy to hear that signs were up in Bedford, well played everyone!

[rpen]

This is not good and I dare say that it's exactly what Cooke's and DFO where both looking for!

http://responsibleaq...eastern-canada/

[Shimanoman]

I have just returned from the Bedford Superstore where I left a message for the manager. (He was in a meeting, and the person behind the counter could not help (answer) the question I asked. The question I asked is "How can I, the consumer be sure that the farmed salmon which you are offering for sale, is not the diseased salmon which the CFIA says is safe for consumption??" There are no labels which assure me that your product is disease free." I am anxiously awaiting his response. I would invite all of our members on this site to ask the same question of the folks who provide you with your seafood. Including Fisherman's Market and Clearwater Seafoods.

Regards,......

[rpen]

I'm still anxiously awaiting a response from Loblaw's Corporate office(1 week now) and from St.Mary's River Smokehouse on this exact issue. I figure Loblaw's silence on this issue is their answer!

[Shimanoman]

I have also contacted my local Sobey's and asked the same question. The grocery manager could not answer my question. He did, however, take my name and the question and assured me that my concern would be addressed. Come on, folks, start asking questions!! If there is no concern voiced, the folks who supply our food will assume that we are prepared to pay for, and eat, diseased seafood. At which point, the Sobey's and Superstores of the world will be more than happy to solve the federal government's problem of paying for diseased fish which would have been ordered destroyed in the past.

Regards,.......

[Shimanoman]

rpen
Ask again, do not accept their silence as a legitimate answer. The question is legitimate. The question is simple. Is your product disease free? Yes or No. If there is any hesitation - do not purchase any products from them. There is no way to tell other than a reputable store labelling its product which assures us the product is"disease free".

Regards.....

[Shimanoman]

I have done the same at my local Sobeys . I am awaiting their answer. Unless it is perceived by a food retailer that there is a problem which will affect their sales or their reputation, they will sell us all diseased fish, thereby helping the Federal government stop paying for diseased fish which would have been ordered destroyed in the past.
I wonder if the US regulatory agencies would authorise ISA infected fish entry to their country as a food product?? If so, perhaps that is where If not, Why not???
Terran, Can you get the answer??
Regards........

[Shimanoman]

Within half an hour of my Sobeys query, the manager contacted me and said "Although Cooke supplies us with farmed salmon, they assure us that the ISA diseased fish in question, are not among any fish being supplied to our company." Sobey's is caught in the middle because there is no way to visually identify ISA diseased fish.
So far, no response from Superstore.
The question now becomes what is the final destination for these diseased fish if it is not Sobeys???
I believe that it is incumbent upon Cooke Aquaculture to disclose to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency the final destination of these food fish and they disclose to the consumer. We consumers, should be at least afforded the opportunity to make an informed decision as to what we choose to put into our bodies - despite the assurances of the CFIA.
Perhaps all DFO, CFIA, conferences/meetings/dinners ought to have an ISA Atlantic Salmon component.
Perhaps all the salmon supplied to the Parliamentary Restaurant (Meals for our MP's and Senators on "The Hill" subsidised by the public purse) should be Cooke's ISA so that our lawmakers ,including the Ministers of Fisheries (Federal and Provincial) could dine on this delectable product???
What do you think, folks???

Regards........

[Perry]

What bothers me is the same bunch of well paid fools told us that Mad Cow, Avian Flu, and Swine Flu was only a danger to the host species and not a danger to humans! Well we know how that turned out!

[sdcanoe]

Here is my response from Loblaws,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.



Loblaw Companies takes all concerns related to health and environment very seriously and are committed to providing our customers with products that are sourced, handled and produced responsibly. The health and safety of our customers is of the utmost importance to us.



Loblaw has a world-leading sustainable seafood policy which aims to conserve healthy oceans and minimize environmental impact of all seafood, wild caught and farmed. In order to meet the increasing demand for seafood, we source both wild and farmed seafood and support sustainable certification for both. As part of Loblaw's commitment to source 100 per cent of all seafood from sustainable sources by the end of 2013, we are proud to have become the first grocery retailer in North America to introduce ASC-certified products in select stores.



The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is monitoring this product and are on site to oversee the harvest and ensure protocols are being followed to prevent ISA from spreading to other fish. ISA is a natural virus of the marine environment that is a manageable fish health issue. The CFIA has confirmed that this product is safe for human consumption and poses zero health risk to human health.



For more information and facts visit the CFIA website at http://www.inspectio...3/1327199219511.



We also encourage you to contact contact the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association at www.atlanticfishfarmers.com/index.html as a resource.



Additional questions can be directed to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency [CFIA] (www.inspection.gc.ca or 1-800-442-2342.



I hate to say it but it is a done deal. Every store that sells farmed salmon will have the potential to carry ISA infected fish. Cooke will not continue to inform its retailers of which fish is infected because CFIA considers it all to be the same. This is truly a very sad day for Canada.
I hope no one forgets what the Harper Government has done to this country.

[Swinsc]

I can't believe people would buy Salmon from retailers that cannot verify the Salmon was ISA-Free?.. surely some of the bigger newspapers must be on it by now?.

[Terran]

Hey Folks,

A story in the Chronicle Herald, today, supports the opinion of most of us who are familiar with the Open Feedlot Fiasco and this latest debacle with ISAv infected fish, going to market.

Biologist: Virus could kill aquaculture
January 28, 2013 - 6:28pm By BRUCE ERSKINE Business Reporter


Infectious salmon anemia ‘extremely onimous’ for industry



Salmon farming in the Maritimes could be sunk if a virus that kills the fish can’t be eradicated, says a prominent British Columbia marine biologist.


“This spells the end of the salmon farming industry in the Maritimes unless they can persuade people to eat salmon infected with an influenza-type virus,” Alexandra Morton said in an email Monday.

“They will not be able to raise fish without this virus finding them.”

Morton was responding to a CBC report Monday that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has concluded it can’t eradicate infectious salmon anemia in Atlantic waters and has changed its focus to preventing the virus, which kills fish but is considered harmless to humans.

The conservationist, who gave the Ransom A. Myers Lecture in Science and Society at Dalhousie University last fall, said the last four outbreaks of infectious salmon anemia reported in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador describe a new strain of the virus.

“This is extremely ominous,” Morton said. “This means the virus has mutated into a more deadly strain. This confirms that it is not from the wild fish.”

Cooke Aquaculture of New Brunswick has had to kill hundreds of thousands of salmon infected with infectious salmon anemia at its Nova Scotia operations in the past year.

But it has been allowed to transport about 240,000 infected fish from a farm near Liverpool to a fish processing plant in New Brunswick under new inspection agency protocols.

Cooke spokesman Chuck Brown said aquaculture companies have managed infectious salmon anemia for years.

“It is a virus that occurs in the natural environment, and we have continued to be proactive in managing it, protecting our fish and preventing it from spreading,” Brown said in an email.

“Early detection is critical, and I think we’re seeing how this is working. We were able to detect ISA at the Coffin Island farm near Liverpool, report it to CFIA and the province of Nova Scotia, follow CFIA protocols and, under quarantine, protect other fish while growing the ones on site to market size.”

The province has lent Cooke $25 million to expand its operations in Nova Scotia, with
$9 million forgiven through the Nova Scotia Jobs Fund.

Morton said infectious salmon anemia also poses a serious risk to wild salmon, which is a major issue for the Atlantic Salmon Federation.

“It’s very concerning,” federation spokeswoman Sue Scott said Monday in an interview from Saint Andrews, N.B.

“The salmon populations are in danger of ISA infection.”

Scott said she couldn’t understand why Cooke was allowed to keep infected farmed salmon in Nova Scotia waters for months before shipping them to New Brunswick for processing.

“What happened to the idea that they’re supposed to be removed to prevent the spread of infection?”

The federation, which works to revitalize wild Atlantic salmon stocks, wants government to stop the expansion of open-net pen aquaculture in favour of land-based systems.

Inspection agency officials could not be reached for comment.

Provincial Fisheries and Aquaculture Department spokesman Brett Loney said the inspection agency, as Canada’s lead fish health organization, is responsible for handling infectious salmon anemia, but the province continues to monitor Nova Scotia farms for the virus.

“Fish health is a critical priority in our aquaculture strategy and our regulations will work to reduce the risk of ISA.”

The Association for the Preservation of the Eastern Shore is putting its opposition to open-pen salmon farms on the road.

The community group announced a two-month campaign Monday that will see Metro Transit buses carrying signs saying Save Our Coastal Waters and Economy. Tell Premier Dexter to Stop Open Pen Fish Farming. The signs will include directions to two associated websites, nsapes.ca and salmonwars.com.

([email protected])


Always nice to see Alexandra Morton helping out on this coast, but it would be nice if there were someone on our coast that could take up the fight, as Alexandra has on the West Coast. Still, her vast experience in this battle is priceless.

Nice to see this isn't dropping off the radar, just yet.

Terran

[Swinsc]

We need a full list of Customer Relations emails for us all to write to ;- I sent some today to Sobeys (on-line customer form) and No Frills/Loblaws email ; '[email protected]'

***************************************************************************************************

Edited and resent just now to Loblaws.

On a further note ;-

Out today - http://thechronicleh...ill-aquaculture
Note it says "considered" Harmless to humans.
They said that about Mad Cow Disease and Tobacco,
Please - see sense, and don't bother with a bolier-plate reply directing me to the CFIA web site or other agency, I have read thousands of such hand-washing, pass-the-buck emails. DO SOMETHING POSITIVE AND STOP SELLING SUCH RUBBISH!.



Dear Corporate Loblaw Customer Relations,
In light of the recent news that CFIA is allowing the movement and processing of ISA infected Salmon to be processed and sold in NS, you should be pro-active and sever all ties with Cooke Aquaculture (if you have any), make 100% traceable purchases from any of your Farmed Salmon suppliers (if you really must use such terrible salmon at all) and make a public statement via notice at each store-outlet regarding your position on ISA contaminated fish.

This is now gathering momentum and publicity, you should act now, I noticed in the Halifax areas signs posted by members of the public were on several roads.
If a store does not completely announce that it knows the exact origin of the Salmon for sale and that no ISA infected Salmon is for sale, you will probably be boycotted to some extent by the ever increasing numbers of the general public being made aware of the diseased fish entering the processing plant and re-sold without labelling or identification of any kind for the consumer.

Don't hide behind the "official" positions of misguided government organisations, take the initiative and gain the moral and responsible high ground, you'll be applauded and probably gain more custom as a result of your pro-active position.


See articles on the www http://www.cbc.ca/ne...ned-salmon.html

Best Regards,

[Swinsc]

Anyone listen to this?. http://www.cbc.ca/pl.../ID/2327776947/

[Terran]

Hey Gang,

I find it interesting that the CFIA's assertions on the harmlessness of Infectious Salmon Anaemia is largely based on a study out of Norway.

That's right, Norway! Now wouldn't you think that the country that holds a major interest in many of these aquaculture sites would have an interest in dissuading worries over a disease that infests their industry? Can you say conflict of interest?

So, to sum it up, Canada is relying on a study from Norway (I'm currently searching for this "study"), from who knows what year, to base their contention that ISAv (a mutating virus) is (most likely) safe for human consumption.

Do you feel like relying on this kind of "science"?

When/if I find the study, I'll provide it on this site. I have read about this "study", before, but finding it is proving difficult. Until then, here is a link to a story on the ASF site that mentions this "study" again: http://asf.ca/sobeys...isa-salmon.html

Canada has cut budgets and stifled scientists on this topic before. Do you really want to trust your health to these Yahoo's?

Terran

[Swinsc]

https://www.facebook.com/droz?fref=ts - Shimano-Man suggested this might be a way to bring things to light over the border?..
Kev.