Assessing elements of risk to wild Atlantic salmon due to infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) from farmed Atlantic salmon in the East Coast of Canada: sub-lethal effects, life stage susceptibility, and other risk factors

PARR-2017-G-01

Description

Infectious salmon anemia is a finfish disease that is caused by the infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), and was first detected in Atlantic Canada in 1996 (see CFIA’s ISA fact sheet for more details). ISAV has been detected in farmed Atlantic salmon; the disease develops gradually and can cause mortality in fish. It is important to assess the risk to wild Atlantic salmon populations from spillover of ISAV should Atlantic salmon farms in Atlantic Canada become infected. This project builds on past research (see PARR-2014-M-01 and PARR-2014-G-11), and will assess the effects of exposure to low doses of ISAV, the effects of different exposure times, and effects of sublethal infections on fish performance. A better understanding of ISAV exposure and transmission between animals will help to inform an assessment of risk to wild Atlantic salmon populations from transient or longer-term exposure to ISA-infected farmed fish.

Findings

N/A

Publications

N/A

Program Name

Program for Aquaculture Regulatory Research (PARR)

Years

2017 to 2019

Principal investigator

Nellie Gagné
Research scientist, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Moncton, NB
Email: Nellie.Gagne@dfo-mpo.gc.ca