'No confirmed cases'

Here's an update from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on reports of infectious salmon anemia in British Columbia.

Quick hits

Here's a few noteworthy items I couldn't get posted yesterday.

Are those reports of a virus outbreak in Canada's wild salmon bogus?

Citing the chronic high death rate of commercial fishermen, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending crewmen wear a "flotation aid" at all times while on deck. Vessel owners, be sure to check out the other NTSB recommendations.

The Department of Fish and Game has posted a preliminary tally of the dockside value of this year's Alaska salmon harvest: $603 million. That's about the same as last year's adjusted value of $605 million.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has posted a draft assessment of the eastern Bering Sea pollock stock, and the numbers suggest we'll see a lower catch limit in 2012. The best reading is on pages 22-23. Deckboss tips his cap to KUCB radio at Dutch Harbor for breaking the story.

What, trust those Canadians?

Sens. Maria Cantwell, Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich want U.S. testing of British Columbia salmon reportedly infected with the ISA virus. Here's the press release.

Virus in salmon prompts congressional action

The U.S. Senate has approved an amendment calling for an investigation and "rapid response plan" to prevent the spread of the ISA virus reported in wild sockeye in British Columbia.

The amendment to a pending appropriations bill, H.R. 2112, calls on the National Aquatic Animal Health Task Force to evaluate the risk the virus could have on wild salmon off the West Coast and Alaska.

Here's a press release from the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who authored the amendment.

ISA virus reported in wild Pacific salmon

Here's worrisome news about the surprise discovery of infectious salmon anemia in British Columbia sockeye. ISA is a virus that has decimated salmon farms in Chile.