Suspected ISA contagion found at Mowi salmon farm in central Norway

A suspected outbreak of infectious salmon anemia has been discovered at a Mowi salmon farm in central Norway.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority issued a notice on 23 August regarding a potential ISA outbreak at Mowi’s 13243 Sandvika salmon farm in Norway’s Volda municipality, in Møre og Romsdal county.

Patogen AS notified the Norwegian Food Safety Authority on 22 August of suspected ILA at location 13243 Sandvika. The suspicion is based on the results of PCR analyzes carried out by Patogen AS after sampling fish at the site.

Fish health and welfare consultancy PatoGen first reported suspected outbreak following a PCR analysis conducted 22 August while sampling fish at the site.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority said it is conducting an inspection of the facility to take follow-up samples. If ISA is confirmed to be present at the site, the authority will impose restrictions on activity at the farm and can order a cull of the farm. That order can be extended by the agency to all farms within a geographic area determined to be at risk of contamination. In addition, the authority requires the cleaning and disinfecting of all affected farms, and a fallowing of each site for a minimum of three months.

“[ISA] is a serious, contagious viral disease in salmon. Suspicion or detection of ILA must be immediately notified to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority so that the fight against it can start quickly,” it said in a release.

ISA is caused by a virus that is harmless to humans but which can cause mass mortalities at salmon farms as it spreads. Rainbow trout can become infected, but usually do not develop symptoms of the disease, according to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

Photo courtesy of Deep Trekker