Today we learned how the federal Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has handled the findings that ISAv is present in British Columbia. While we sent the samples to the best labs we could find, reported the results to the CFIA and the public and responded by following up with tests on as many salmon rivers as we could reach, it would appear the CFIA was busily trying to make ISAv disappear. Everyone should read this:
Download DFO-599910[1].pdf (199.7K)
Not only did the CFIA apparently work to achieve the headlines at the bottom of the email, we heard that Dr. Kibenge, the International Reference Lab for ISAv suffered attack to his reputation. He commended his University for standing behind his work. This is exactly what happened to Dr. Nylund in Norway when he discovered ISAv had infected Chile via Atlantic salmon eggs.
In my opinion, the salmon farming industry is getting better service from our government than we are.
Comments
2 responses to “The Canadian Fish Health Agency wins the war …. against us”
Joseph Beres is, I gather, an inspection manager in Vancouver for the CFIA.
The e-mail seems to be a spectacular misjudgement.
I always thought that the inspection agencies did inspection and the politicians made the political judgements.Perhaps the roles are now reversed.
In hindsight, the effusive message in the PR war over fish viruses is akin to Chamberlain waving a piece of paper in 1938 –“peace in our time”. And as history recounts, Chamberlain misunderstood the facts.
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Alex, the e-mail link you provided is appalling! It starkly exposes the author and many of the decision makers’ mentality. They do not see this a battle for science, truth, or understanding at all. Just a PR war to “win over” or “convince” the unwashed masses of their message or policy. It is so unethical and devoid of any principle I am shaking so much I can hardly type this. These ignorant spin doctors need to be brought to account for what they have done and what they are still attempting to do to the BC salmon, to the environment and to us!