From The Herald, Scotland Nov 5


Fish disease spreads to wild stocks
CRAIG WATSON 

A VIRUS previously identified only in farmed fish has been confirmed in wild stocks in Scottish waters, Ministers said yesterday. 
Some angling interests and environmentalists claimed it could lead to whole populations of wild fish being wiped out. 
The disclosure coincided with an announcement that the disease, infectious salmon anaemia (ISA), was suspected at a further six salmon farms in Shetland, Orkney, and Loch Roag, in the Western Isles, leading to calls for more help for beleaguered fish farmers. It had been hoped the disease was under control after the first wave of outbreaks last year. 
The Scottish Executive promised to launch an urgent review into measures used to control ISA. 
Ministers said Government scientists working at the marine laboratory in Aberdeen had found evidence of the ISA virus, though not the disease it causes, in samples of wild fish. It is the first time it has been confirmed in species such as eel, in Loch Uisg, Mull, and also the first time it has been detected in freshwater. 
The researchers found that Atlantic salmon parr in prized fishing rivers such as the Tweed were affected, as well as other inland waters and east coast farms, which have not previously been linked to ISA. 
The virus was also found in sea trout in Laxo Voe, Shetland, and in the river Snizort, Skye. Laboratory tests indicated it could be present in brown trout in the rivers Conon and Easaidh and in rainbow trout from fisheries in Aberdeenshire and Kinross-shire. 
Last month, there were unconfirmed reports the ISA virus had been found in wild and escapee salmon in New Brunswick, Canada. The disease has never been confirmed in wild fish. 
Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs John Home Robertson said: "This is disappointing news. We will be reviewing our current controls and will be taking stock of what action may be necessary in relation to wild fish. 
"The disease has no implications for human health but can have devastating effects on fish farms. I want to stress therefore that we intend to continue to do everything possible to stamp out the disease where it is found." 
Government scientists have not established if ISA was passed from farmed to wild fish or vice versa, partly as tests have been carried out only since the first outbreak in Scotland 18 months ago. However, anglers and environmentalists insist it is spread by overcrowded fish farms and escapees. 
The number of salmon and grilse caught by anglers in 1997 was down by one third to 87,000, the lowest level since records began in the 1950s. 
The Scottish Anglers National Association criticised the Government's "patent failure" to effectively deal with ISA, adding that there should be a moratorium on the expansion of fish farming. 
Former president Sandy Forgan said: "This shows that ISA is much more widespread than anyone ever thought and that is worrying. Clearly, the measures taken to arrest that spread have been a singular disaster." 
However, he hoped wild fish would prove resistant to the disease as they were not densely packed in small areas. 
Friends of the Earth Scotland head of research Dr Richard Dixon said: "Scotland's fish-farming industry is now on a knife edge. The Government told us that it had beaten ISA - it hasn't. 
"They told us ISA would not spread to wild fish - it has. ISA in wild fish is a disaster, with major implications for the environment and the rural economy. This could be the final nail in the coffin for wild salmon and sea trout in Scotland." 
Fish farmers are also disappointed at the spread of ISA, which has already led to the destruction of more than four million fish, losses of £37m, and at least 180 job cuts. Legal challenges against the Government are pending. 
Scottish Salmon Growers' Association chairman Lord Lindsay said Ministers must act urgently to help struggling operators. 
He said that could mean providing improved compensation for farmers forced to destroy diseased fish and introducing more flexible control measures. 
A total of 24 farms in Scotland have been suspected of the disease over the last 18 months. Eleven others have been confirmed as infected over the same period, five of which are back in production. 
- Nov 5 

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