Kundapura: RSIV disease detected again in farmed fishes

Kundapura: A large number of fish deaths at fish farms here have been found out to be because of the resurgence of the Red Sea Bream Iridovirus (RSIV) disease amongst them.

The presence of the virus was detected by scientists from the College of Fisheries, Mangaluru. The dean of the college A. Senthil Vel informed in a statement.

Vel further informed that the reemergence of the virus in the fishes could be because of the high density of fishes stocked in a fish cage causing the virus to spread easily from a few infected ones.

Most of the fishes reared in the fish farms are the Sea bass variety which are carnivorous and hence are fed remains of dead fish which could be infected by the virus. Additionally, the rivers in which the fish cages are submerged are highly polluted mostly from sewage, the statement said.

Vel recommends that to further prevent the spread of the virus amongst farmed fishes it must be made mandatory to buy fish feeds only from certified sellers, lesser fishes must be stocked in a cage and sanitation and disease control measures must be improved in the farms.