Salmon virus? What salmon virus.

[Locutus]

Scientists concerned over chill in reporting of salmon virus after lab delisted

Scientists fear there could be a reluctance to report a deadly fish virus after the first lab in Canada to say it was detected in British Columbia salmon was stripped of a special reference status by an international agency.

Marine researchers say they were stunned to hear that the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, recently suspended the reference status from a research laboratory at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island.

Run by Fred Kibenge, who is considered one of the world's leading authorities on infectious salmon anemia, it was one of only two labs in the world recognized by the group for the testing of the virus.

Kibenge's work came under scrutiny in 2011 after he said he found evidence of the virulent disease in wild B.C. sockeye salmon, challenging the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's position that the virus is not present in the province.


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[Tonington]

I was going to post this a few weeks ago, but there was no media sources to link to at the time.

For some added context-which is sorely lacking in the media sources to date-US officials have since tested wild Pacific salmon and farmed salmon, and found no evidence of ISA:
Tests show no signs of ISA virus in Washington’s salmon | WDFW News Release

Additionally, the other OIE reference laboratory run by Dr. Are Nylund tested samples from those same fish Dr. Kibenge tested, and found no evidence of ISA. When Dr. Nylund tested, they tested using two sets of PCR primers, one for the conserved part of the ISA genome (meaning it would detect any ISA) and another set of primers specific to European clades of ISA. So that is a pretty comprehensive bit of testing. Dr. Nylund presented his findings to the ISAV Evidentiary Hearing, a special session of the Cohen Commission:
Exhibits | Cohen Commission
It's exhibit #2033.

So to sum up, CFIA couldn't replicate the findings from the lab here in Charlottetown. The other OIE reference laboratory couldn't replicate the results. The testing in the US has found no evidence of ISA. Kibenge's lab has been delisted due to critical audit findings of his laboratories procedures. The entire OIE delegation voted to delist the lab at the Atlantic Veterinary College. That's pretty significant.

The salmon are scared nuts, however, will not be swayed by solid science. They never have so why would they start now? It's funny to read some of the comments on other pages, about how this has Harper's fingerprints all over it. Nobody can replicate the original results, and they were released prematurely to the public to maximize the outrage. Alexandra Morton even tried to use it in the BC provincial election.

Appears to be bad science to me. We have an audit at work next week, and they are nothing to take lightly. Poor quality control will get you nailed to the wall.

 

[bill barilko]

I was going to say 'Cue the desperate deniers' but it's already happened.

 

[Tonington]

I was going to say 'Cue the desperate deniers' but it's already happened.

I wouldn't expect anything better from someone who can't discuss the science. Like I said already, you won't be swayed by solid science. Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr. Nylund and the University of Bergen, and the World Organization for Animal Health- yep, all are deniers protecting a Canadian industry. You think there aren't other nations who compete with BC salmon farmers that wouldn't welcome less trade competition? :roll:

I could go so far as to say that much is true, if the tables were turned and it was just CFIA as the outlier. Then the sacred salmon loons might have a point. But it`s not just CFIA who have been unable to confirm the results. That's how science works by the way; when many cannot replicate your results, then those solitary results are what we call suspect. It strains credulity that this virus could be in the Pacific, without wiping out salmon farms that don't even buy vaccines with an ISA indication.