B.C. government to audit fish processing plants that release bloody waste water

The B.C. government will audit 28 fish processing plants after tests confirmed the presence of a contagious fish virus in the bloody wastewater released into the ocean by at least two plants.

The audit comes after underwater photographer Tavish Campbell filmed a cloud of blood being released into the ocean from two pipes, one near Campbell River and another near Tofino. The Atlantic Veterinary College tested the blood in November and found piscine reovirus (PRV), which has been linked to HSMI, a potentially deadly disease that causes heart lesions and organ hemorrhaging in fish. PRV has been found in both farmed and wild salmon populations, but its prevalence is higher on fish farms.

In December, the government conducted its own tests of the effluent released from Brown Bay Packing and Lions Gate Fisheries and also found the virus.

LINK (via: The Vancouver Sun)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *