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Research Document 1998/160

Overview of salmonid fish diseases and parasites in both the salmonid aquaculture industry and in wild salmon populations

By A.M. MacKinnon and M. Campbell

Abstract

The majority of fish health diagnostic testing in the Maritimes is performed on cultivated salmonid populations due to extensive salmonid aquaculture; economic consequences of a disease outbreak; and live trade of cultivated fish stocks. There are a number of laboratories available for diagnostic testing and as a result of the lack of mandatory reporting of infectious disease agents of concern, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is not always privy to pertinent fish health information. The demand for diagnostic inspections under the Fish Health Protection Regulations (FHPR) has dramatically increased since their promulgation in 1977. The Government of Canada assumes the cost of performing FHPR inspections within Canada and the provision of these diagnostic examinations exhausts the majority of resources available for DFO's Maritime Region Fish Health Unit. Limited testing of wild finfish populations has been performed through: collection and submission of samples by other agencies and groups within DFO; the necessity for regulatory diagnostics on wild broodfish populations; and investigations of wild fish mortalities. This paper will provide a review of available fish health information collected for wild and cultivated salmonid populations in recent years.

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