Salmon virus scare spreads fear and doubt
James Costello, Alberni Valley Times, December 09, 2011
During the recent salmon virus scare, there has been a concerted effort by activists seeking to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about British Columbia's aquaculture industry using a combination of halftruths and illogical claims.
But they are wrong. Just last week both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Department of Fisheries and Oceans released statements in which they made it clear that using all accepted scientific methods available to them, they were unable to confirm the presence of the ISA virus in any samples tested.
The activist community claims the CFIA and DFO have worked together in an effort to cover up the presence of a virus which would have far reaching and devastating effects on wild salmon.
But to the scientific community this shows there is no virus. It could not be identified, and it could not be replicated in cell culture, a crucial part of the scientific process when it comes to testing for viruses.
Testing for viruses is something that the CFIA takes very seriously, does often and does well.
Being responsible for the food safety of the entire country means that regardless of the industry involved they are able to enact measures when responding to a reportable virus.
If you consider the BSE (MadCow disease), and avian flu incidents you see that when drastic measures are needed they are taken.
But they have to be based on sound science.
In British Columbia regular testing and high survival rates prove our fish are free of ISA, and our methodology and quality of sampling has been recognized as good science by some of Canada's top labs.
While it is true that the ISA virus can be deadly to farmed Atlantic salmon, the same has never been shown for Pacific species.
The fear of mutation and potential devastation of wild stocks is unfounded, illogical and pure speculation.
And the thought that farmed B.C. salmon could be the only source of such a virus conveniently ignores more than 8-million Atlantics released into British Columbia waters since 1905 in attempts to enhance sportfishing opportunities, and the fact that the first Atlantic salmon farm was located in Puget Sound nearly 15 years before Atlantics were farmed in British Columbia.
Finally, if there is a government conspiracy with aquaculture, why have we been hindered by excessive red-tape, government foot-dragging and endless buck-passing in our efforts to manage and grow our operations sustainable, using the best science and technology available?
James Costello Sustainability officer, Mainstream Canada Tofino
