ISAV Prevalence and Sampling Strategy Development Project

Description

According to the ISAV management strategy, salmon production areas are clustered in Bay Management Areas (BMAs) with successive year class of fish that allow the use of fallow period as biologic barrier to limit the virus spread. Active sites with ISAV history remained in an area representing an exceptional opportunity to generate evidence to support or change the fallowing strategy. Results that indicate high prevalence of infection in non-clinical situations would suggest that the fallow period be extended, while absence of infection would support the maintenance or reduction of current fallow periods. Additionally, the sampling plan will provide material for archives and for diagnostic test validation by comparing amplification and immunoassay based methods for surveillance. Finally, this study will provide experience when designing ISAV monitoring using harvested salmon in processing plants and fish pooling diagnostic strategies to optimize the performance to cost ratios of detection methods.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2008 - 2008

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Nellie Gagné
Email: Nellie.Gagne@dfo-mpo.gc.ca