Salmon stock recovery in B.C. gets a boost
New
international lab accreditation will help salmon recovery levels
By SeaWestNews
The British Columbia Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (BC CAHS) in Campbell River has attained the International Standards Organization (ISO) accreditation, another feather in its illustrious cap.
The ISO accreditation in a BC private fish
health diagnostic lab means the reporting of fish pathogens leaves no room for
doubt.
“This assures all salmon resource interests
that our work is conducted to the highest standard and the results are accurate
and defensible,” said Dr. Jim Powell, CEO of BC CAHS.
“Four virus assays (detecting procedures) —
including Piscine Orthoreovirus (PRV) — are now conducted to a recognized international
standard,” he said.
The BC CAHS is a non-profit organization with
a state-of-the-art laboratory serving all stakeholders in fisheries and
aquaculture, First Nations and the enhancement communities. It operates on a
science-based model and adheres to a rigorous academic ethic.
It is dedicated to helping the recovery of
salmon abundance through research to identify fish pathogens that impact salmon
health.
By using advanced molecular and genetic
techniques, researchers at BC CAHS are unraveling the mysteries of the genetic
structure of fish pathogens to use in their detection methods.
“It’s only logical that when you report on
viruses affecting salmon, that the procedures are done to the highest
standard.” says BC CAHS, Lab Manager Garnet Martens.
“It took years of preparation, training and
documentation to achieve ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation, but it’s worth it.”
said Martens.
“Now our clients know that our results are
reliable, relevant and trustworthy according to the international standard
requirements.”
Last summer, the BC CAHS, received funding
a for a wet lab under the British Columbia Salmon Restoration and Innovation
Fund, which is a 70 per cent federal, 30 per cent provincial cost-shared
program.
Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture
Province of B.C. said the wet lab project, would enable scientists to monitor
fish in land-based tanks.
“It will allow us to have another
scientific tool that we can use to monitor salmon and the impacts of climate
change,” said Popham.
Dr. Powell, had been working on getting
this project off the ground for the past 15 years.
“A Level 2 Wet Lab will help us conduct the
much-needed additional scientific research aimed at a better understanding of
potential effects of pathogen transfer between wild and farmed salmon” Dr.
Powell told SeaWestNews, in an earlier interview.
“It is necessary to have the facility in
Campbell River because this is where migratory salmon pass through to get to
the open ocean and then back to the spawning grounds. It is also the meeting
place of wild and farmed fish, so it’s perfect to conduct research using the
local waters”.
Mayor Andy Adams had stated “Campbell River is the ‘Salmon Capital of the World’ and is very supportive of work that the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences does in providing our region with science-based evidence for the sustainability of all fisheries whether it be wild, commercial, recreational, farmed or indigenous.
“Having an operational wet lab here in
Campbell River would be a tremendous asset to continue this critically
important research and works very well with the City’s potential plans for a
Salmon Centre of Excellence facility.”
(Image courtesy of BC CAHS Facebook)