Infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAv) has been detected at Laxar Fiskeldi ehf’s Sigmundarhus site, a development that will likely impact the company’s production volumes for 2023, says Laxar’s owner Ice Fish Farm.
“The consequences of the disease detection are difficult to estimate now, but it will probably reduce Laxar’s expected harvest volume for 2023,” said Ice Fish Farm CEO Guðmundur Gíslason in a statement released on Wednesday.
The site consists of approximately 1 million fish with an average weight of 0.476 kilograms.
“The Sigmundarhus site is within close proximity of the other Laxar site that had ISA earlier in the winter and the site has been under close monitoring. Finding the virus is considered to reduce the overall risk in the operations. Laxar continues to analyze the consequences and will return with more information once it is available,” the statement said.
ISA is a naturally occurring virus and is not a human health issue or a food safety issue. Depending on the virus strain, the disease can potentially kill up to 90 percent of an infected Atlantic Salmon population, representing significant economic losses for aquaculture operations.
