Cooke Aquaculture has humanely euthanised two cages of fish in Nova Scotia after routine testing raised suspicion of the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) virus.
This voluntary action is considered as a proactive fish health management strategy employed by salmon farmers around the world, one that has been taken by Cooke Aquaculture after thorough risk evaluation.
On 10 February the suspicion of ISA was raised during routine fish health surveillance and testing at a salmon farm in Nova Scotia.
Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) is a naturally occurring virus that spreads slowly and is present in wild fish in many parts of the world, including eastern Canada and the United States. Because ISA is present in the natural environment, salmon farmers have learned to manage it over many years.
The presence of ISA has not been confirmed and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing its testing. However, Cooke took the proactive fish health approach of culling the affected fish immediately rather than waiting for further testing results by the CFIA, which could take several weeks.
Quick voluntary action on issues of a fish health nature is a standard operating procedure for Cooke Aquaculture.
