This is
a very nasty virus. To date it has been shown to
have
had a serious impact on the salmonid aquacultural
industry..
The
annual cost of infectious salmon anemia outbreaks
among farmed fish in 1999 was reported to be
$11million (U.S. dollars) in Norway, $14 million
in Canada,
and the 1998 – 1999 epidemics in Scotland
were valued at a cost of $32 million.
There is much debate as to whether this is a naturally
occurring disease, which is impacting aquaculture,
or whether the high stocking densities and transport
of fish by those involved in aquaculture is exacerbating
the problem for wild fish.
To date there is little evidence that wild Sccottish
stocks have been harmed, but then the disease is
hard to recognise without pathology.
The fish develop
pale gills, and may swim close to the water surface,
gulping for air. However, the disease can also
develop without the fish showing any external
signs of illness, the fish maintain a normal appetite,
and then they suddenly die.
Vigilance by all anglers is encouraged. Most salmon
after an extended period in fresh water will have
pale gills, but if you catch and kill a sea-liced
fish with pale gills that shows abnormalities on
gutting.. we would like to take samples for analysis. |
|
Links
Infectious
Salmon Anemia Virus - United States Geological aquaculture
Fish Health Research Laboratory (Pdf)
A highly
infectious disease of Atlantic salmon (Salmo
salar)
that was first reported within Norwegian aquaculture
facilities. The disease has since been described
among pre-market Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar in
Scotland (Bricknell et. al. 1998), New Brunswick,
Canada (Lovely et al. 1999), the United Kingdom (Rodger
et al. 1999), and the Cobscook Bay region of the
United States (Bouchard et al. 2001) and from coho
salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Chile and the Faeroe
Islands (Kibenge et al. 2001).
Infectious salmon anemia - Wikipedia.
As the name implies, it causes severe anemia of
infected fish. The fish develop pale gills, and
may swim close to the water surface, gulping for
air.
Infectious
Salmon Anemia Virus Leetown Science Center (pdf) |
