Norwegian aquaculture has great losses due to infectious viral diseases. Disease outbreaks in aquaculture can lead to increased infection pressure and increased risk of disease in neighboring plants and wild fish.
In Norway, there has not been enough knowledge about infection from farmed fish to wild fish. FSA therefore launched in 2012 a monitoring programme for the transmission of disease from farmed fish to wild salmon.
The purpose of monitoring is to determine whether the disease in farmed fish can infect wild fish. The Veterinary Institute has therefore been responsible for monitoring freshwater and IMR has been responsible for the monitoring of seawater.
Still, evidence of infection from farmed fish to wild fish is limited. It is important to continue with this annual monitoring as environmental, farming and disease status changes over time. The monitoring of wild fish is continuing in 2014.
