Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada-based Cooke Aquaculture announced on Thursday, 23 July that outbreaks of infectious salmon anemia (ISA) had occurred at its Hood Cove and Seal Cove salmon-farming sites in Newfoundland, operated by subsidiary Cold Ocean Salmon Inc.
The Hood Cove site, located near Gaultois, Newfoundland, contains eight cages with approximately 611,000 Atlantic salmon. The Hood Cove site is near Hermitage, Newfoundland, and contains 234,000 salmon.
“The company is planning to remove the fish using approved and biosecure standard operating procedures,” the company said in a press release. “This proactive approach to removing fish immediately following a detection has proven to be the most successful method for managing this virus. The company has taken all the responsible steps under the oversight of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries and Land Resources and is following government approved policies.”
Earlier this month, Cooke’s Cold Ocean Salmon reported a separate ISA outbreak at the North of Killbuck Cove salmon farm site near McCallum, Newfoundland. That site contained six cages stocked with approximately 340,000 Atlantic salmon.
Cooke takes a proactive approach to removing fish as quickly as possible following a detection of ISA, Cooke Vice President of Public Relations Joel Richardson said.
“[It] has proven to be the most successful method for managing this virus,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Cliff White/SeafoodSource
