The press communiqué of the government of Canada states that the minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Keith Ashfield, and the minister of Agriculture and Agrifoods from Canada, Gerry Ritz, have issued a joint statement referring to the news on ISA virus findings in British Columbia, Canada.
Both the ministers have pointed out that they want to assure people that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are working diligently to get the facts about the reports of the presence of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) in British Columbian salmon.
They also informed that ISA virus in British Columbian salmon has not yet been verified by federal officials through any established processes. CFIA and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are working to assess the results through scientifically sound and internationally recognised procedures, which must include additional testing to verify the presence or absence of ISA virus in these samples.
The statement also states that Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducts regular testing in British Columbia for a wide variety of pathogens, including ISA. Over the past two years, over 500 wild and farmed salmon in British Columbia have been tested by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. There are stringent federal regulations in place to protect Canada’s aquatic species (farmed and wild) from disease. The protection of Canada’s natural resources continues to be a top priority of the Government of Canada.
