The B.C. government will audit 28 fish processing plants after tests confirmed the presence of a contagious fish virus in the bloody waste water released into the ocean by at least two plants.
The audit, which should be completed by the start of summer, will include inspection of the 28 facilities to ensure they are using the “best available technology” to deal with effluent. It will also review whether permits contain strong enough environmental protection provisions, according to a recent Ministry of Environment release.
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.
Glenda Luymes – Vancouver Sun – February 9, 2018.
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