British Columbia studies suggest that farmed fish, the source of the virus, spread to wild salmon.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, demonstrates that the virus continuously spreads between farmed and wild Pacific salmon and passes through farms.

PRV, which devastated Norwegian salmon farms, is a disease associated with inflammation of the heart and skeletal muscles of farmed salmon and kidney and liver damage in wild BC salmon.

The study was conducted by experts from the University of British Columbia and the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative, a partnership between the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Genome, and the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

“One of the great things about our research is that we can translate this genomic technology developed to investigate viral pathogens in humans and use it to study very important marine resources. “More,” said the viral Dr. Gideon Mordekai. Ecologist at the University School of Medicine.

In an interview, Mordecai said researchers sequenced 86 complete PRV genomes and concluded that the British Columbia viral lineage came from the North Atlantic.

“This coincides with the timing of importing Atlantic salmon eggs from Europe for salmon farms in the northeastern Pacific,” the study said.

According to Mordekai, as BC aquaculture businesses infect wild salmon with the virus and the infection rate increases, there is increasing evidence that wild salmon are closer to storks.

“The virus was brought into the area,” Mordecai said. “It wasn’t naturally here. It was introduced by people, and it continues to be introduced by high infections in stock net pens, and it works.”

“We are not importing anything”

The BC Salmon Farmers Association said it would review the survey on Wednesday, but noted an archived salmon organization from 1977 that showed that PRVs existed in BC waters before the storks were established.

The statement said the British Columbia PRV strain was genetically different from the European virus, but challenged UBC’s study that the disease arrived from Norway on the west coast.

“We are not importing anything,” the statement said. “The Atlantic salmon we cultivate in BC are grown 100% BC. Our fish are grown on Vancouver Island’s hatchery from chick stock that was born and raised on Vancouver Island. . “

The Federal Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans said in a statement that it would support new research to help identify and understand the potential risks associated with various strains of PRV.

“The Mordecai … paper provides valuable information on the origin, evolution, and potential transmission dynamics of PRV-1a,” the statement said. “This department will review the findings, along with additional research on PRV in British Columbia’s coastal waters.”

The agency has conducted a lot of research on the effects of PRV on farmed Atlantic salmon and wild salmon, but found that the risk to wild resources is minimal.

Indigenous groups who oppose traditional territorial aquaculture, especially near the Discovery Islands in north-central Vancouver Island, say the proximity of the farm to the wild salmon migration route increases the risk of illness.

The federal government announced in December last year that it would phase out about 20 open-net fish farms in the Discovery Islands region over the next 18 months.

Mordekai, who holds a PhD in honeybee pathogen research, decided to study salmon health after attending a conference where government scientists were convinced that PRV did not pose a significant risk to wild salmon. He said it had spurred on.

“Well, I thought I should ask that question,” he said. “The government policy is to minimize the threat that the virus poses to salmon. The risk is low. It does not cause illness and the virus is unique to the region.”

However, the results of genome sequencing provide evidence that salmon farms are functioning as a source of virus for wild salmon in British Columbia, Mordecai said.

This study requires increased monitoring and regulation of infectious diseases that threaten wild salmon.

“Infectious diseases are just one of many threats to marine life, but to fully understand the health of at-risk wild populations, management agencies continue to invest in active monitoring of emerging infectious diseases. We need to, “says the study.

“Our study emphasizes the need for strong regulation of aquaculture that may prevent future loss of wild populations, which is exacerbated by PRV-1 and other emerging infectious diseases. There is a possibility.”