Antibiotic usage in BC salmon farms low and declining
Controversial Canadian university gets funding to study salmon farming and the use of antibiotics
Odd Grydeland, FishfarmingXpert, January 14, 2014
With all the research capacity and factual knowledge about salmon farming residing in British Columbia, one could wonder why the Canadian government decided to spend over half-a-million dollars (~€395,000) at a university in land-locked Alberta- especially given this institution’s dubious record of studies about salmon farming in B.C. that for years repeatedly predicted the doom of wild salmon stocks in the vicinity of salmon farms- something that has yet to materialize.
The University of Alberta (UOA) in Edmonton proudly pronounced the three years of funding last week, which is to be used to reduce the use of antibiotics in the B.C. salmon farming industry in order to minimize the risk of developing antibiotic-resistance- a worthy goal in itself. But the university got a lot wrong, and it would have been much better off trying to find ways to reduce the prophylactic use of antibiotics in the conventional, land-based livestock industry, where these products are often used to improve growth and other areas without the need for a veterinarian’s prescription. This is not the case in the aquaculture industry in B.C.- these drugs are only used when animals are sick and when the efficacy of the antibiotic has been demonstrated.
The lead UOA researcher- chemist John Vederas- and food-safety researcher Lynn McMullen provided information from the university suggesting that this issue is pressing because of “the tens of thousands of kilograms- 21,330 kg in 2007- of antibiotic used in salmon-farm feed every year to ward off bacterial disease and parasitic sea lice”. First of all- antibiotics are not used to treat salmon for sea lice. Secondly, reliable figures show that in 2007, some 100 grams of antibiotics were used for each tonne of farmed salmon produced that year, and with a government-reported production in 2007 of 78,900 tonnes, this works out to about 7,890 kg of this type of medicine. The UOA paper also described this as an “ever-growing problem”, but in its announcement, the University of Alberta acknowledges that researcher Vederas “admits his knowledge of marine life and food safety is limited”.
It is ironic that three days prior to the announcement by the University of Alberta, the largest salmon farming company in British Columbia (and the world) issued the following release:
Study shows Marine Harvest Canada antibiotic use low and declining
A new study published last month in the Canadian Veterinary Journal shows that Marine Harvest Canada's (MHC) ongoing process improvements is making huge strides towards the elimination of antibiotic use for its farm-raised salmon.
The use of antibiotics in food production has become an increased focus of consumers who want to know what medicines may have been fed to food animals. The use of medicines in British Columbia (BC) farm-raised salmon differs from use in other Canadian agri-foods because all treatments are prescribed by a veterinarian, reported to regulatory authorities, never used prophylactically (to prevent illness) or to promote growth, and have been publicly reported since 1995.
"The improvements and changes BC salmon farmers have made in the past decade have significantly improved our salmon's health," says Dr. Diane Morrison, lead author of the study and Director of Fish Health and Food Safety at MHC. "These improvements have nearly eliminated the need to treat our fish with antibiotics."
Morrison and Saksida suggest specific improvements from 2003 to 2011 have helped to reduce antimicrobial usage in BC farm-raised salmon: improved location and environmental conditions on farms; improved vaccine efficacy (oil versus water based products); improved fish health and better disease screening; health management plans which include biosecurity, freshwater/saltwater husbandry and improved broodstock screening.
