Russian Arctic Salmon Showing Up With Necrosis: About 10%+ Of Populations Sampled To Date

[hatrack]

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Sick salmon from the Kola River. Photo courtesy of Severpost

After an obvious increase in the cases of sick wild salmon, biomaterial samples of the fish were sent to several leading scientific laboratories in Russia, the Murmansk edition of newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets reports.

The chairman of the Veterinary Committee of the Murmansk Region also paid a visit to the Nizhnetulomskaya hydro-based power plant (HPP). There he inspected the fish for necrosis and collected more wild salmon samples to run tests on. Regional news online Severpost reports that out of 4,802 salmon caught during the three first weeks of June, 545 were infected.

Researchers with the Veterinary Committe in Murmansk have done a more thorough study of some of the salmon. Based on clinical examination of Atlantic salmon trapped in the fish ladder at the HPP, it was uncovered that 22 specimens of wild salmon show primary signs of necrosis. “Since July 9, 625 salmon have passed through the fish passage, 22 of them showed primary signs of ulcerative dermal necrosis,” the Committee writes.

In its initial stages, the disease causes gray spots or rings on the body of the fish, which subsequently ulcerate. However, the necrosis can worsen through a secondary infection caused by the saprolegnia fungus, which causes white spots or rings to occur on the fish. From there on, the fish is weakened significantly and typically dies, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets. The disease is not dangerous for humans and affects only wild salmon.



EDIT

https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/life-and-public/2021/07/cases-necrosis-found-murmansk-wild-salmon

[Tadpole Raisin]

1. So they don't know why

This necrosis is happening but they are testing water and soil samples. It’s been going on for 5 years.

Changes in other species that need to be assessed and analyzed carefully and reversed if possible, see if human activity is contributing and whether it could have an impact on us

At least for those of us who care.