Fish Farms Exposure Has Higher Rate of Infections for Salmon

Wild salmon infected with the virus struggle to return to spawning grounds, says report's author

By Ash Kelly,CBC News

Alexandra Morton is lead author on a report that says wild salmon exposed to open-net fish farms are much more likely to be infected with piscine reovirus (PRV). (Sea Shepherd Conservation Society)

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Wild salmon exposed to open-net fish farms are much more likely to be infected with piscine reovirus (PRV) than those that don't have that contact, a new study has concluded.

The data also show that the virus makes it more difficult for wild salmon to swim upstream to their spawning grounds, which has major implications for the sustainability of the populations.

"The government has to remove this industry from the key salmon migration routes or we risk the complete loss of wild salmon in this province," said Alexandra Morton, lead author on the report and an outspoken advocate for wild salmon.

Major implications for Fraser sockeye, chinook

According to the research, PRV was found to be much more prevalent in the lower Fraser River than the upper Fraser River.

"This suggests that salmon infected with PRV are less capable of swimming up through strong rapids in places like Hell's Gate and therefore unable to reach their spawning grounds," said co-author Rick Routledge, a professor of statistics at Simon Fraser University. 

Read the rest of the story at CBC News here: