The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is investigating a suspected finding of infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) in an aquaculture facility in British Columbia.
IHN does not affect human health or food safety, but does pose risks to aquatic animal health and the economy.
The CFIA has placed a quarantine on the facility and samples are being taken for further testing.
Confirmatory testing on the samples is being conducted at the National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory and results are expected within weeks.
The virus is known to exist in the waters of British Columbia. The last confirmed case of IHN in farmed salmon was in 2003.
This finding was reported to the CFIA following testing by the provincial laboratory.
The CFIA will be conducting surveillance for this disease as well as infectious salmon anaemia and infectious pancreatic necrosis, as part of its surveillance initiative which is underway. The initiative will allow the CFIA to get a comprehensive picture of the health status of salmon in British Columbia.
