Infectious Salmon Anaemia - published June 2002
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Following representations made to the RSE by members of the public, expressing the view that the current EC legislation is not based on science, a Working Party, chaired by Professor Sir Roderick MacSween, was set up to assess the science behind legislation governing the control of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA), a viral disease of salmon. Oral and written evidence was received from a number of national and international salmon, fisheries and disease control organisations, including submissions from Norway and Canada. The Working Party also visited the FRS Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen as well as a salmon farm and hatchery. Overall, the Working Party welcomed the general stance taken by the EU in controlling ISA, but stressed the importance of distinguishing between ISA disease and infection by ISA virus. In addition, the Working Party concluded that it was impossible to establish whether the virus was exotic to the EU and recommended that fish communities in the sea around salmon farms and in fresh water whose catchments are associated with salmon farming, be examined in detail to determine whether the virus is endemic. It also recommended that the survey for ISA virus in wild salmon be re-established.