By Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 23, 2011
Headlines have appeared across BC newspapers stating that samples of salmon allegedly infected with the deadly ISA returned from government labs with negative results. Contrary to earlier lab tests, the government has concluded that there is no ISA (infectious salmon anemia) present in BC salmon.
“The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has tested all 48 samples received as part of the original investigation and the results are all negative for the virus,” a Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) spokesperson said. “All additional samples that have been collected and tested as part of this investigation, have also been negative for infectious salmon anemia, however, these supplementary results must be considered inconclusive because of the poor quality of the samples.”
When samples were initially tested by two top labs, they were found to be positive. According to The Tyee, Dr. Are Nylund from the University of Bergen, Norway, verified the ISA virus detection in Rivers Inlet sockeye smolts by Dr. Fred Kibenge in a Canadian lab. Kibenge, of the World Animal Health reference lab for the ISA virus in Prince Edward Island, found that chum, coho and chinook from the Fraser River tested positive for the European strain of the ISA virus.
Once these government labs had concluded negative results, a media conference call took place. Their statements seem unworried; there was no ISA found in BC salmon. But soon, journalist questioning revealed discrepancies. The responses shifted to “inconclusive” and therefore negative. Six ISA virus positive tests were turned into negatives. The CFIA and the federal and provincial government did this because they were not able to reproduce the results with those same samples.
The CFIA spokesperson continued to say that “the CFIA and DFO are also looking at how the samples were handled, transported and stored. This information will be critical in validating the virus test results and establishing Canada’s health status for this disease.”
The government agencies results were negative because of the poor quality of the samples: negative through default. We don’t need have a thorough knowledge in pathogen detection to understand degradation of samples. Of course the CFIA wasn’t able to reproduce those positive results – the samples they were working with were fast deteriorating “preserved” samples (aka freeze-burned fish rot). The labs that reached the positive conclusion with the samples are world-accredited labs. What does this say about the competence of government labs?
The Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Keith Ashfield made a statement saying the samples tested negative, condemning those who found the results positive. “Because some have chosen to draw conclusions based on unconfirmed information, this has resulted in British Columbia’s fishing industry and Canada’s reputation being put at risk needlessly.”
The Federal Minister of Fisheries is playing the very role he is condemning. That is precisely what the government is doing – drawing conclusions based on their own tentative results. Their results: inconclusive due to poor sample quality. Their prognosis: negative.
ISA virus is the most deadly salmon virus known, afflicting salmon farms worldwide. It’s wiped out stocks in Chile and Norway. Are we supposed to dismiss the results from two reputable ISA virus labs, because the re-tested samples were of poor quality?
Every headline I read about this spits out: “No ISA in BC.” It is common knowledge that most people glance at headlines, read the first few lines, and then move on. The fact of the matter is that the majority of British Columbians believe we’ve overcome a scare. Or maybe they are apathetic about it or completely unaware. Either way, the looming devastation of farmed and wild salmon on our coast won’t be stopped. The DFO, BC and Federal government, and the CFIA’s incompetence will bring us to economic and ecological ruin. It will be a horrible plunge.
So get educated. Otherwise, here we go…
