The Canadian Food Inspection Agency plans to test nearly 8,000 wild and farmed salmon over the next two years to find out if three potentially deadly fish diseases are present in British Columbia waters.
The project is an intensive investigation aimed at detecting any signs on the West Coast of infectious salmon anemia, infectious pancreatic necrosis or infectious hematopoietic necrosis.
“All three diseases are highly contagious, can cause mortality in wild and aquaculture salmon,” states a ministerial briefing note prepared by CFIA staff and updated Dec. 8. “Surveillance objectives are to determine the absence/presence of three diseases of trade significance … [and] to support international trade negotiations by making [a] disease-freedom declaration that will stand international scrutiny,” states the note, which was filed as evidence recently at the Cohen Commission of inquiry.
A draft copy of the CFIA surveillance plan was also entered at the hearings, which concluded on Monday.
During testimony, Kim Klotins, acting national manager of the CFIA’s aquatic animal health division, said the plan is still being worked on, but it should be in place by early next year.
The draft plan states that 7,700 salmon will be collected for sampling over two years, and that nearly 20,000 tests will be undertaken on the fish.
