In the wake of a vigorous public response to the recent news that Cooke Aquaculture will be marketing 2.5 million pounds of Atlantic salmon from a quarantined farm near Liverpool, Sobeys food store executives say that their stores will not be selling any of the fish which may be infected with the infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAv).
In an email responding to SCT inquiries, Shauna Selig, communications mamager for Sobeys, says that, due to the news stories about the ISA salmon being processed in New Brunswick by Cooke, the company has been getting customer questions about the salmon and "whether or not we will sell it in our stores and, if so, will it be labeled."
Seling told SCt that Sobeys has not had any of these salmon for sale in stores in the area and that "our supplier has confirmed that none of these fish identified as having ISA will be shipped to our stores."
She added that, as they are "not selling any of these ISA-infected salmon in our stores, there will be no need to identify any as such."
Several news and Facebook sites and email usegroups have been abuzz this week, after a CBC interview with a Cooke executive, explaining the reasoning behind the salmon sales.
Some of the comments on SCT included: "...this stuff is still diseased and not very appetizing to consumers" and "Forget Nell Halse and CFIA and other petty distractions. Tell Superstore and Sobey's that you won't buy any fish from a fish case that contains fish infected with ISA Virus. Ask them NOT to sell any seafood infected with the ISA virus. Then stick to your word. Don't buy it. Tell your family and friends not to buy it. And tell your friends in Montreal to stay away from those "salmon portions" at $2.99/lb."
Several Chronicle Herald readers expressed dismay based on that paper's recent story.
Cooke and CFIA officials have repeatedly warned consumers and media that ISA was completely harmless to humans. Those assertions are based largely on a 13 year-old EU Commission on Health and Consumer Protection study of the "Zoonotic Risk from Infectious Salmon Anaemia virus", where the conclusion was not that ISA was harmless, but that that there was "no evidence of risk to man."
Comments
How would grocery stores know which fish are the diseased fish?? I am fairly certain the fish plant will not be labelling them as such...won't other fish be exposed to contamination using the same equipment. Ecoli in beef is spread by mechanical tenderizing and makes its way into steak and roasts, so why wouldn't it be possible to infect other fish processed in the same plant with this bacteria? Just a question.
Here's what an expert has to say on the subject. Are you a professor of epidemiology shadow99?
http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningns/2013/01/24/infectious-salmon-anem...
Are you employed by the open pen fishing group shelbourne parent?
Our food supply is being contaminated...beef, fish, Ecoli in vegetables, diseased fish.
Please go ahead and enjoy your diseased farmed salmon. I will buy BC wild sockey myself.
How will consumers know what they are actually buying if the ISA diseased salmon isn't tagged - are customers expected to trust grocers' assurances - not a chance.
What are the odds CFIA will cover the industry's ISAV losses after this brouhaha - it's a sustainable industry only as long as the taxpayer keeps footing the bill.
its a cash cow that we pay for, cooke get paid whether its infected, destroyed or sold, why would they care.. I really don't blame them, if our clown government makes them an offer they can't refuse, why not.. Sobeys states that they will not sell the infected fish and that's a statement some will take notice of and a step in the right direction by a HUGE company.. perhaps others will follow and make a difference..
The public does not trust Cooke Aquaculture. There have been too many ISA infections, too much glossing over, too many tax dollars poured into the landfill. If Sobey's really wants to confirm consumer confidence and take a lead over the competition they should take a stand and refuse to sell open-pen farm raised fish. Sobeys is big enough and it would make us all proud.
Perhaps our gutless government could pull their heads out cooke's ***** and do the right thing and make us all proud.. that would probably be the best way to deal with this issue.
The NDP never associates itself with doing the right thing or with words like, proud,
honourable ,trustworthy, integrity, ethical, honest. When is that election??
My bet is next year,he will try to hang on as long as he can.
This C.H. article from last evening (8:10 PM) was shuffled so quickly it escaped our notice:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/520881-new-electoral-boundaries-...
The media is being used for an ISAV damage control blitz - hard to swallow when served on a plate.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/01/24/ns-isa-restau...
Funny how when media says something rational about aquaculture you classify it as some sort of scandal, but when it's negative you raise it over your head and waive it around like it's the Stanley cup. Here is what an actual fish health expert said about ISA. Still eating salmon "Oh Yeah"!
http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningns/2013/01/24/infectious-salmon-anem...
It's beginning to sound as though our South Shore waters have a Chilean blight in the making.
Shelbourne parent....Do you work for Cookes or possibly NDP party?? Or both??
Remember mad cow disease, avian flu, all caused by mans greed in feeding improperly and overcrowding and filthy conditions. Fish are no different in my opinion. Common sense tells me land based fish farming is the way to go, when it is done properly and has some regulations. Sustainable Blue in NS seems to be making a go of it and could be a positive leader in the industry.
If there is no problem and wild salmon have had this disease for eons why are the farmed fish quarantined ?
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