Salmon Rickettsial Septicaemia (SRS)
Cermaq CEO Jon Hindar called this syndrome Chile’s main challenge moving forward. Not only has Salmon Rickettsial Septicaemia (SRS) syndrome resulted in low prices and quality realizations for the South American country and aquaculture hub – it’s also raised the alarm about antibiotic use in fish farming operations, as an effective vaccine has yet to be developed to fight the condition off. Cermaq itself is conducting systemic trials for vaccines, and Hindar noted that more than 5 million smolt will be released in 2016 to help limit SRS outbreaks.
SRS is thought to be caused by the the Piscirickettsia salmonis, or P. sal, bacterium, which has caused the industry some USD 100 million (EUR 89.7 million) or more in annual economic losses, according to the Global Aquaculture Advocate. Oftentimes, SRS will take up residence in fish that has been moved from a freshwater environment to a seawater environment. The condition predominantly affects Atlantic salmon, coho salmon and rainbow trout.
