Salmon Leukemia Virus Essay

The salmon leukemia virus is one that attacks the immune system and slowly causes the fish to die of other causes. This disease prevents the fish from fighting any other disease it might catch and begins to deteriorate the internal organs. Alex Morton began to show her findings that these fish from the Frasier River contained the virus and she was able to trace them back to the farms she soon became ostracized and put on gag order. To protect the interest of the salmon farm industry the government allows the farms to keep the information pertaining to salmon confidential. When her findings were published in the journal Science the DFO no longer permitted her to talk to the press. Farms just poor out disease and pathogens and wild fish just …show more content…
By limiting the amount of water we use on a day-to-day basis we can leave more water for the salmon. For those living directly next to water polluting is key; never throw away any waste in streams or ditches. For every action there is a reaction. The waste we throw away can lead to streams that lead to bigger bodies of water and materials such as oil, gasoline and other chemicals can directly kill fish. Items that you might think are safe such as grass; pet feces hurt fish and may spread diseases. Pathways that lead to water such as storm drains be aware of chemicals that you may place in those. Not only because they are unsafe for human use chemicals such as fertilizer, drain cleaners, and detergents should be used in moderation.
Spread the word and plant a tree. If you live in area that might have a salmon outreach program, join. The Internet also has many resources of organizations that you can donate to. There are many things you can do at home such as planting native trees along side the river to allow the cool shade that are needed for salmon to survive. Also, the trees stop erosion and provide more food for the fish. Ask others to help and make them more aware of the subject