Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
News
Health
Food
BC Politics

Review Takes Fish Testing Lab Off the Hook

No ‘evidence of financial or technical conflict of interest’ for lab that tests BC farmed fish.

Andrew MacLeod 19 Mar 2018TheTyee.ca

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee's Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Find him on Twitter or reach him here.

A British Columbia government-ordered investigation has found allegations of conflict of interest and slippery science at a provincial lab that tests farmed salmon were unfounded.

“I am satisfied that the Animal Health Centre operates with strong professional, scientific and ethical integrity,” deputy minister Don Wright wrote in a March 15 memorandum to Premier John Horgan.

“My review process found no evidence of ‘dubious data or conflict of interest,’” Wright wrote. “The Animal Health Centre is an asset that is of critical importance to the agriculture, fishing and aquaculture industries in our province, and to the health and well-being of our citizens. It is an institution of which the public service can be proud.”

The government hired the consulting firm Deloitte LLP to review operations at the lab in Abbotsford after federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientist Kristi Miller-Saunders criticized the work of veterinary pathologist Gary Marty at the Animal Health Centre in a documentary on CTV’s show W5.

Marty and his lab had been criticized by opponents of fish farms in the past for downplaying or denying the impact of salmon diseases including Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflamation, or HSMI.

“He has a relationship with the industry and he also is the person doing the pathology associated with the regulatory programs,” Miller said on CTV. “Even if it isn’t a conflict of interest, it has the appearance of one.”

The Tyee reported in a January story that the Animal Health Centre receives $7 million in funding from the province’s agriculture ministry and about $1.4 million from other clients, including $176,000 from three salmon aquaculture companies in the latest fiscal year. DFO also contracts the lab to perform farmed salmon audits.

Marty, who conducts fish audits at the lab, told The Tyee in October that his work is always subject to review or second opinion by other professionals. “The situation developing this week is unusual in that it has caught the public eye, but otherwise, review of my work is routine,” he said at the time.

Marty declined an interview Friday saying questions about the Deloitte report would have to go to Agriculture Minister Lana Popham.

Miller-Saunders did not respond to a request for an interview.

“Our independent assessment of the AHC did not identify any evidence of financial or technical conflict of interest regarding the diagnostic activities of the AHC,” Deloitte found in its report.

“Relative to other laboratories, the AHC operates at the highest levels of quality, both in terms of the depth and experience of scientist and veterinary pathologists on staff (particularly the finfish expertise),” it said. “The laboratory and its quality management processes are certified by independent accreditation bodies, with a series of strongly controlled diagnostic tests performed by highly qualified and experienced laboratory scientists and pathologists.”

The lab had a sophisticated system for ensuring the quality of its work that would make it “very difficult to disguise” any collusion or deliberate alteration of results, the report said. “It is unlikely that all of these AHC diagnostic processes would fail to correctly identify pathogens or evidence of disease within a fish sample.”

Nor was their any significant financial incentive for the management and scientists at the centre to suppress or alter their findings about pathogen or disease outbreaks, it said. “If anything this could lead to significant personal reputation impact, loss of professional designation, and loss of income for a veterinary pathologist.”

Popham has been quoted saying the $100,000 for the review was money well spent.  [Tyee]

Read more: Health, Food, BC Politics

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll