ISA infection linked to Marine Harvest
Published: July 4, 2008
Source : Patagonia Times
ISA is a highly contagious virus that can be lethal to fish but does not affect humans. Since being detected in Chilean waters last July, the spreading illness has contributed to a significant industry slowdown, particularly in Region X.
In an interview with Ecoceanos News, SERNAPESCA’s aquaculture head, Alicia Gallardo, said the infected fish were brought to the Marine Harvest facility in 2005 from Region X.
“Out of 100 percent of the salmon farms in Region XII, just one came out positive for the virus. But it didn’t manifest itself as the clinical illness, which is what leads to losses,” said Gallardo. “Upon discovering the virus, the strategy is to immediately remove the infected fish and its eggs.”
Gallardo’s statements confirm what Romano Totoro of the newly formed Patagonia without Salmon Farms Social Coordinating Committee (CSPSS) told the Patagonia Times earlier this week (PT, July 1). Totoro learned about the Marine Harvest connection during a June 28 meeting with SERNAPESCA’s Region XII director, Patricio Diaz Oyarzún. The CSPSS is based in Puerto Natales, close to Marine Harvest’s ISA-infected farm.
Marine Harvest, the world’s largest farmed salmon company, also owns the Chiloe (Region X) fish farm where one year ago authorities first detected the ongoing ISA outbreak. In fact, the Norwegian company owns 10 of the 24 salmon farms on SERNAPESCA’s most recent outbreak list as well as five of the seven formerly infected farms now considered disease free.
Twenty-two of the 24 outbreak sites are located in Region X. The remaining two are in Region XI, an area also known as Aysen. SERNAPESCA does not consider the ISA finding in Region XII an “outbreak” and thus has no plans to include it on the list.
“Multimillionaire Norwegian John Fredriksen, Marine Harvest’s leading shareholder, should answer to the communities in Magallanes (Region XII), Aysen and Chiloe as (his company) has seriously jeopardized the health of our waters and the environment, has hurt tourism operators and artisan fishermen and resulted in thousands of lost jobs,” said Juan Carlos Cardenas, director of the Santiago-based environmental NGO Ecoceanos.
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