Fish health
Heart of the matter Fish may be good for our health, but they suffer cardio problems themselves BY VINCE MCDONAGH
O
NE of the biggest threats to farmed salmon is not what you might expect. Every year, hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of ļ¬sh die from a liļæ½le-discussed cardiac disease, cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS). In short: heart failure. The disease made its entry into Norwegian salmon farms in the mid 1980s and later spread to the Faroe Islands, Scotland and Ireland. Now the authoriļæ½es are increasing their eļ¬orts to try to ļ¬nd out why this killer syndrome is on the increase. Salmon mortality in Norway is alarmingly high. It is esļæ½mated that around 50 million salmon die every year from various causes, many as a result of CMS. No part of the countryās long coastline is immune, but the western part of Norway appears to be the hardest hit.
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It is also reckoned that cases oļæ½en rise following lice treatment procedures, suggesļæ½ng stress may be a factor. Scotland also has a problem. Mowi revealed in its third-quarter report, published in October, that incidents of CMS at its Scoļæ½sh farms remain are sļæ½ll too high. Neighbouring companies have also suļ¬ered in the past. Edgar Brun, Director of Fish Health and Welfare at the Norwegian Veterinary Insļæ½tute, told
Above: Examining ļ¬sh (Photo: SAIC) Left: Edgar Brun Opposite from top:
Health check for a salmon (Photo: SAIC); Ida Beitnes-Johansen
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
09/12/2021 15:26:06
