ISA virus found in salmon at southern Newfoundland aquaculture site

More farmed salmon have been found at a Newfoundland aquaculture site with infectious salmon anemia (ISA).

ISA is a finfish disease that has to be reported by lawin Canada, buttheCanadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it poses no risk to humans.

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has confirmed that ISA was detected in salmon being farmed at theaquaculture site in Spyglass Cove, near the community of Pool's Cove on the south coast of the island.

The site is owned and operated by New Brunswick-based companyNorthern Harvest Sea Farms.

According to the province, once ISA was found at the site the CFIA was notified and the company killed the fish as required by regulatory standards.

It's the third knowntime in six months that an aquaculture site has had to harvest all its fish following the discovery of ISA.

Cooke Aquaculture harvested all the fish at its sitenear Gaultoislast October followingthe detection of five fish with the infectious disease, and did so again in a facility on the south coast of Newfoundland in February.

Province to step up testing

The provincial government says it will be doing enhanced surveillance at the Spyglass Cove aquaculture site as a result of the ISA outbreak.

Anyone who suspectsISAin finfish that they own or work with is required by law to notify the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The discovery comes at a critical time for the industry, which is mired in controversyover plans to develop a massive open-pen aquacultureoperation in Placentia Bay proposed byGrieg Seafarms.

The provincial government has been championing growth in the industrywhich has brought renewed economic life to much of the province's south coast after aserious outbreak of the infection in 2013 left the sector reeling.