Cermaq subsidiary Mainstream Canada on Monday revealed that the IHN (infectious haematopoietic necrosis) virus has been detected after routine testing at one of its Tofino-area farms in British Columbia.
“Unfortunately, our Millar Channel farm has tested positive in qPCR tests for the IHN virus,” said Fernando Villarroel, the company’s managing director. “We are waiting for results from confirmatory tests.”
Mainstream Canada has been monitoring its Clayoquot farm sites closely after the Dixon Bay farm was hit with IHN in May; the site was completely emptied. Millar Channel is 6.5 kilometers from Dixon, the nearest site. The fish at Millar Channel are small, approximately 400 grams on average.
There is currently no increased fish mortality at the Millar farm and any further actions by the company will be in cooperation with Canadian authorities, according to Mainstream Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been notified and its investigation will follow, said the company.
Because of the length of time between the cases, and strict biosecurity measures followed by Mainstream, it is highly unlikely the virus at Millar Channel originated from Dixon Bay farm. Migrating wild salmon, natural carriers of the virus, are a more likely source, according to the company.
