This issue of the ISA virus (ISAV) on the BC coast, is most certainly not going anywhere. There’s a report flying through the social media circles that the Department of Fisheries & Oceans was aware of the potential for significant evidence of ISA in Pacific Salmon.

Here is an email string and the approx. 7-year old report that suggests ISA was rather prevalent in the Pacific Salmon sampled.

The researcher involved, Molly Kibenge, is asking Dr. Simon Jones, in the Aquatic Animal Health Section of DFO to publish her research from 7 years previous that demonstrated she found significant presence of ISA in wild Pacific salmon.

Dr. Jones concludes in his email response just over 2 weeks ago  (CFIA is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency):

 

So here is credible, scientific evidence suggesting that the ISA virus was lurking in wild Pacific salmon and DFO is still in deny, deny, deny.

This research is now almost 10 years old, and it’s still deny, deny, deny.

And in the response from Dr. Fred Kibenge, Dr. Molly Kibenge’s husband essentially saying we’ll disclose this information notwithstanding its age…

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It could very well be that there are still issues to be ironed out on the ‘scientific’ testing and cultures, and so on and so on… However this does not discount the simple fact that the federal agency, and at the time in 2002 the BC Provincial Government, did not have a responsibility to share this information with the public — and to outline what the action plan was to ensure that all scientific protocols were being followed to confirm presence or absence of ISA, and what would be done in the future if it was discovered.

The thing with salmon farming and ISA is that it’s just not a matter of “if” it is always a case of “when”… just like any other kind of farming. If we raise domesticated animals in close confinement, it is only a matter of time before disease breaks out. And all we have is mitigating measures… antibiotics and otherwise, often without the required testing to ensure human and other animal safety.

Here’s the full email string and older report of Dr. Kibenge.

Here’s also a blog post out of Seattle from the Seattle Weekly:

Stay tuned for the heat to be turned up on this issue as the Cohen Commission has a special hearing in mid-December.

Something smells all too fishy… feed lot fishy.