Department of Fisheries and Ocean staff scientist Dr. Kristi Miller made waves today at the Cohen inquiry with her eagerly awaited testimony about a ‘novel’ virus that could be infecting millions of sockeye.
What Miller, a molecular geneticist, originally described in her January 2011 Science publication as salmon leukaemia has been more accurately identified as parvovirus. This is the first time this virus has been seen in salmon, though it is not known how long it has been present in other species.
Miller explained that the genetic markers identified in the salmon she studied match up with the known markers for parvovirus. Common symptons in other strains of the virus include immune system compremise and anemia. Miller believes this phenomenal could explain the increase in pre-spawn mortality rate that has been observed in sockeye stocks since 1992.
Dr. Kyle Garver, another panelist, added that there is still research needed to determine whether presence of parvovirus is lethal and virulent.
Miller found that juvenile smolts have indicators of the virus prior entering the ocean which suggests that exposure occurs in fresh water. Juvenile salmon with the virus indicators are less likely to survive to spawn.
The BC Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA) has been quick to proclaim that Miller’s research discounts any connection between fish farms and the parvovirus strain because of the freshwater presence of infected fish. But both Miller and Garver are firm that more work needs to be done to confirm the source of the virus.
Miller has yet to test any fish farms to see if the virus is present in farmed salmon. An email exchange submitted as evidence yesterday show that Miller had been trying to get permission to test farmed stocks for several months. DFO higher-ups seemed nervous about the ramifications.
Curiously enough, just a week before Miller was to testify at the Cohen Commission, the BC Salmon Farmers Association agreed to let Miller test farmed salmon, though no details of when and how have been reached.
The day’s testimony ended with a bang as Greg McDade, legal council for Alexandra Morton, produced documentation that indicated that as Miller’s research progressed, she removed references that fish farms could have played a role in the spread of the virus.
Miller stated that the speculative nature of this connection made colleagues in DFO nervous. This line of questioning will resume tomorrow.
Miller was raised to the public profile after Post media discovered that the federal Privy Council had refused to let her give interviews with Time magazine or talk to the public. Reports of her science being muzzled come on top of similar media bans on federal climate scientists, and cuts to science funding.
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