The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Tuesday confirmed that it has, after further testing, found additional cases of infectious salmon anemia (ISA) at a salmon farm in Nova Scotia operated by Cooke Aquaculture. The virus was first reported on 7 March.
As a result, the agency will continue to order the destruction and disposal of infected fish, and facility will remain under quarantine until all fish have been removed from the site, cages and equipment have been cleaned and disinfected, a process that may take months to complete.
The agency added that Cooke, Atlantic Canada’s largest salmon producer, continues to fully cooperate.
“While this finding is a temporary setback for one particular site and one particular operator, we are committed to growing aquaculture into an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable industry,” said Sterling Belliveau, Nova Scotia’s fisheries and aquaculture minister, in a statement.
