Bakkafrost Group has issued an alert after a routine Veterinary Authority surveillance test on one of its salmon farming sites revealed the suspected presence of the pathogenic ISA virus.
In a statement, the Faroese company said suspicion arose after results in one cage at farming site A-73 Hvannasund Nordur indicated that the fish were infected by the so-called “HPR-del ISA-virus.” It added that was preparing to take necessary actions.
Meanwhile, the Veterinary Authority will carry out further tests in this cage and all other cages at the farming site. The results of these tests will be available over the next few days.
Farming site A-73 Hvannasund Nordur contains 1.2 million fish with an average weight of approximately 0.54 kg whole fish equivalent (wfe). Total biomass is approximately 665 metric tons (MT) wfe.
“The farming companies and the authorities on the Faroe Islands have put a lot of work into maintaining the good biological status in the Faroe Islands. Regular surveillance tests for ISA-viruses have been performed at all farms during the last approximately 12 years in sea sites in the Faroe Islands,” said Bakkafrost’s statement.
The company expects to send out a stock announcement, when the final results from the tests on the farming site are available and a conclusion is made regarding future actions.
