Aquaculture

Salmon ISA Disease Prevention Welfare

Infectious salmon anaemia is a devastating viral disease requiring rapid response, depopulation and biosecurity to prevent spread and welfare harm.

Key Facts

ISA causes lethal haemorrhagic disease in Atlantic salmon
Outbreaks require mandatory reporting and regulatory depopulation
Norwegian outbreaks in the 1990s devastated the industry and led to strict biosecurity
Fallowing and compartmentalisation prevent spread between farm sites
Vaccination reduces severity and is standard practice in Norway and Chile

Welfare Considerations

ISA outbreaks cause mass mortality involving severe haemorrhagic disease. Preventing outbreaks through vaccination, biosecurity and fallowing prevents both mass welfare harm and economic devastation. Rapid response when outbreaks occur, including humane emergency depopulation, is both a welfare and regulatory requirement.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture biosecurity standards preventing disease spread
Advocate for mandatory fallowing in ISA-risk areas
Choose salmon from certified producers with documented disease prevention programs