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Assessment of the risk to Fraser River sockeye salmon due to Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus transfer from Atlantic salmon farms located in the Discovery Islands area, British Columbia

National Peer Review - National Capital Region and Pacific Region

December 5-8, 2016
Vancouver, BC

Chair: Gilles Olivier

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), under the Sustainable Aquaculture Program, is committed to deliver environmental risk assessments to support science-based decision making related to aquaculture activities. The Aquaculture Science Environmental Risk Assessment Initiative was implemented to assess the risks of aquaculture activities to wild fish and the environment. The risks associated with each environmental stressor validated in the Pathways of effects for finfish and shellfish aquaculture (DFO, 2010) will be assessed as per the Aquaculture Science Environmental Risk Assessment Framework ensuring a systematic, consistent and transparent process.

The first series of risk assessments to be conducted under the initiative will focus on the pathway related to the release of pathogens, and regionally focusing on Atlantic salmon aquaculture activities in the Discovery Islands Area of British Columbia. The risks associated with other environmental stressors resulting from aquaculture activities will be assessed in future processes.

DFO’s Aquaculture Management Directorate has requested CSAS advice on the risks to Fraser River sockeye salmon due to pathogen transfer from marine Atlantic salmon farms located in the Discovery Islands area in British Columbia. This request supports DFO’s role in the management of aquaculture in British Columbia and aligns with recommendations in the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River, including recommendations 18 and 19 on risks to wild fish populations related to pathogen transfer from farms and other fish health related ones (Cohen, 2012).

The advice will be provided through a series of pathogen transfer risk assessments, the first one focusing on Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV). This well characterised pathogen is known to cause disease and has been diagnosed on Atlantic salmon farms in the Discovery Islands area (St-Hilaire et al., 2002; Saksida, 2006). The risks associated with other pathogens also known to cause disease and detected on marine Atlantic salmon farms in the Discovery Islands will be assessed in subsequent processes.

Objectives

The objective of the meeting is to provide advice on the risk to Fraser River sockeye salmon due to IHNV transfer from Atlantic salmon farms located in the Discovery Islands area of British Columbia.

The science advice will include a review of the scientific knowledge, as summarized in the working papers, related to:

Based on this scientific knowledge:

Expected Publications

Participation

References

DFO. 2010. Pathways of effects for finfish and shellfish aquaculture. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2009/071.

Saksida, S. M. 2006. Infectious haematopoietic necrosis epidemic (2001 to 2003) in farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in British Columbia. Dis. Aquat. Org. 72: 213-223.

St-Hilaire, S., Ribble, C. S., Stephen, C., Anderson, E., Kurath, G. and Kent, M. L. 2002. Epidemiological investigation of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in salt water net-pen reared Atlantic salmon in British Columbia, Canada. Aquaculture. 212: 49-67.

Cohen. 2012. Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River - final report. CP32-93/2012E.

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