Measures applied to control Renibacterium salmoninarum infection in Atlantic salmon a retrospective study of two sea ranches in Iceland

This study describes the success of broodstock culling in controlling Renib acterium salmoninarum infection on two sea ranches in Iceland. On both ranc hes, the overall percentage of positive broodfish was around 35% when the p rogram was initiated. After a few years of broodstock culling, the prevalen ce figures for broodfish declined and remained below 2.0%. The progeny of t he fish subjected to culling, sampled during smoltification, always tested negative for R. salmoninarum. As infected broodfish were detected in most y ears, there was a continuous risk of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) epidemi cs on both ranches. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.