Ireland may not be affected by a new fish farm disease which has caused serious problems in Norway and Canada, a leading Norwegian veterinary scientist has said.
However, the spread of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) to Scotland has prompted the Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Hugh Byrne, to set up an expert group to examine the risks posed to the industry here.
The virus has no cure but it can be controlled, Dr Martin Binde, regional veterinary officer in Norway, told salmon farmers in Westport, Co Mayo, at the weekend. Some of Norway's most successful farms were run by people who had "survived ISA", he said. Dr Binde was speaking at Bradan '98, the salmon farming conference.
ISA has caused devastation in some salmon farms in Norway and Canada, and requires slaughtering of all stock if detected. Good husbandry, which should protect against most fish farm diseases, is no shield, Dr Binde said. "A farmer practising following and being very diligent about changing sites might be situated next to a farmer who relies heavily on chemicals. Once it spreads to the latter farm, there is little protection against it."
ISA could spread here from Scotland through smolt transfer, or from Norway or Canada through importation of dead infected fish.
The virus poses no risk to human health, and does not survive in temperatures of over 28 C. The Irish Salmon Growers' Association and the Department of Marine and Natural Resources have drawn up a code of practice as a preventive measure.
Five to 10 cases are reported annually in Norway where ISA is running at "acceptable" levels, Dr Binde said. "In Canada, tests are being carried out on a vaccine but there are too few instances in Norway for us to adopt a vaccine strategy. If you vaccinate, you have to accept that it is within the fish population."
Dr Binde said he was reluctant to give advice to Irish farmers as he was not familiar with the industry here. "In Norway, we lay great emphasis on trying to keep affected farmers in business. There is another positive side, in that farmers are forced to co-operate."
The Minister, Mr Byrne, said his officials were keeping in close contact with the Scottish authorities and had been assured that strict control measures had been put in place there, in accordance with EU rules. "We will continue to monitor the situation there, in consultation with our own industry, and we will be working in close liaison with the European Commission to ensure that this outbreak has no adverse implications for fish farming in Ireland." The Irish aquaculture industry needs to expand to compete and the future lies in offshore sites, said Mr Donal Maguire, aquaculture development officer with BIM. The board intends to initiate trials with Connemara fish farmers on new technology suited to offshore sites, including the Oceanspar cage system.
In standard sea cages, wave motion can have adverse effects on stocking densities. The Ospar system relies on a spar which holds the net under tension, and prevents the sort of distorted movement to which cages can be subjected in strong currents.
BIM is also involved in a new cross-Border aquaculture initiative, in co-operation with the Department of Agriculture in the North, Northern Ireland Seafoods, and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources. The initiative predates the Belfast Agreement, which specified fish farming as one area for economic co-operation between North and South.
Also speaking at the conference, the EU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Mr Padraig Flynn, indicated that fish farmers would continue to be beneficiaries of EU structural funds. Expressing concern about a skills shortage in certain Irish industries, the commissioner said the EU would continue to support training.
More women must be encouraged to work in industry, he said.