The IPN virus infection was found in a fish at the Malgomaj aquaculture facility during a routine sampling. Umlax must slaughter all fish at the facility in the spring and replace them with new fish because the infection is contagious. Emanuel Nygren, a representative of Umlax, stated, 'We must empty the facility.
' The fish being slaughtered is too small and may not be usable as food fish. Normally, fish are slaughtered at 2-3 years old, but now they must also get rid of all younger fish. ' The infection is not dangerous to humans, and the fish can be eaten as usual without affecting appearance or quality.
We must empty the facility. After the ice melts, we have to take up fully healthy fish that we could have saved longer.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture believes the infected fish came from Finland, according to Emanuel Nygren. It is difficult to know for sure how the virus spread, as it can be transmitted by boats, birds, or wild fish. IPN is a viral disease that primarily attacks salmonids but also affects eel, flatfish, and pike.
The virus is very resistant, surviving in both fresh and salt water, tolerating freezing for months and drying for weeks. The exact number of fish that must be slaughtered at the facility is unknown, and it is unclear how exactly the IPN virus was introduced to the Malgomaj facility.
We slaughter every week, but it's difficult to handle in the middle of winter. The facility is under ice, in the middle of the lake. Now it's hard to take up more than normal, it will be intense during the spring.