Statement release from Fisheries Management Scotland, Marine Scotland & Fish Health Inspectorate.
There are reports of small numbers of fish exhibiting signs of bleeding and/or ulceration being caught in Norway, Ireland and Scotland. These symptoms have been reported as being mainly along the area on the belly of the fish between the head and the tail. At the moment what is causing this trauma is unknown. Fisheries Management Scotland are liaising closely with Marine Scotland and samples have now been taken by the Fish Health Inspectorate. If you encounter a fish exhibiting these symptoms please contact the Fish Health Inspectorate immediately. If possible, the fish should be kept alive until the duty inspector has provided advice as to the appropriate course of action. It would be advisable, if you do catch and land one of these fish, to follow normal biosecurity protocols and to disinfect your fishing tackle, landing net, waders and fishing jacket. Locally, we have not been made aware of any sick fish matching this description being caught but please contact the Forth District Salmon Fishery Board immediately if you catch a fish matching this description. We are awaiting further information which will be communicated in due course. Lee Fisher, Superintendent – 07887835549
Forth DSFB Office (9am -5pm Mon-Fri) – 0131 445 1527 Picture shows a diseased fish caught in Norway.
**Further update **
Statement from Marine Scotland
Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) has been responding to reports of wild adult salmon displaying skin damage such as reddening (petechial haemorrhaging) around the fins and belly (ventral surface), inflamed (swollen/red) vent and associated fungal infection
Further information will be provided when the laboratory results are available from fish sampled across a number of Scottish rivers.
In the meantime, observations of adult salmon demonstrating clinical signs of infection or damage should be notified to the local District Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB) and the FHI.
Considerations are:
Moribund or lethargic fish should be targeted where sampling is considered appropriate;
There is no requirement at this stage to remove fish with damage for disease control purposes;
Wild adult Atlantic salmon returning to rivers to spawn can naturally present with some physical damage due to a number of environmental factors;
FHI sampling will be prioritised on moribund fish that can be maintained alive (in keep nets or suitably bio-secure tank facilities);
Moribund fish that cannot be maintained alive should have details recorded and photographs taken, where possible, before being returned to rivers. Details should be sent to local DSFBs and FHI;
If local wild fishery interests determine that moribund fish are not to be returned to the river, they should be percussion stunned or suitably dispatched and maintained in a refrigerator at 4°C, until a determination on sampling is undertaken;
Good biosecurity practice should be followed when handling affected fish with hands, clothing and equipment being suitably cleaned and disinfected, where appropriate.
https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Fish-Shellfish/…/disease
Please report any diseased fish seen or caught to Lee Fisher on 07887 835549 or by email to board@forthdsfb.org or usual social media channels.
Contact details for FHI. Tel: 0131 244 3498 (Out of hours tel:0131 244 1833)
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