Pancreas Disease in Farmed Salmon - Health Management and Investigations at Irish Farm Sites 2005-2008

This publication constitutes the final report for the research project ST/05/01 “Site investigations and disease management of the pancreas disease virus in Irish farmed salmon”, funded under the NDP Marine RTDI Programme. Work undertaken within the project included longitudinal studies of rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon at sea following the course of infection, testing for vectors and reservoirs of the virus, molecular studies of the virus and an epidemiological investigation of pancreas disease in Ireland. Results have shown that although pancreas disease is endemic in marine farmed Atlantic salmon, no evidence of infection in rainbow trout farmed at sea was found. Serological and molecular based diagnostic methods were shown to be suitable for the screening of fish stocks for the presence of the virus. For the confirmation of clinical outbreaks, farm data and histopathological results should be included. The results also suggest that horizontal transmission of the virus may be the main route of infection between sites. The project also involved the technology transfer of molecular and serological diagnostic methods for pancreas disease between partners and the final chapter includes practical information on management of, and mitigation against, pancreas disease. Pathologies such as pancreas disease, heart and skeletal muscle inflammation and cardiomyopathy syndrome, pose a serious threat to salmonid farming in Ireland, Scotland and Norway. Most significant among this group of diseases is pancreas disease, a viral disease affecting Atlantic salmon during the marine stage of the production cycle. From the first description of pancreas disease in farmed Atlantic salmon from Scotland in 1976 the disease has now become endemic in Ireland and parts of Norway and continues to be significant in Scotland. The causal agent of pancreas disease, a salmonid alphavirus, has now been characterised and a closely related subtype of the virus is known to cause sleeping disease in farmed rainbow trout on continental Europe and in the United Kingdom. The Irish salmon farming industry has estimated that pancreas disease has resulted in a total loss of turnover of €35 million with €12 million loss of profit in the years 2003-2004. The economic impacts are estimated to be in the range of €100 million per year in Norway. In Scotland, pancreas disease and related pathologies are increasingly responsible for significant losses in marine salmon farms but these have yet to be quantified.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10793/267

Citation

Ruane, N., Graham, D. & Rodger, H., "Pancreas Disease in Farmed Salmon - Health Management and Investigations at Irish Farm Sites 2005-2008", Marine Environment and Health Series No. 34, Marine Institute 2008