Iraq: New virus killing fish supplies

An Iraqi fisherman makes his way through dead fish and plants in the Delmaj marsh, east of the city of Diwaniyah, in Iraq’s southern province on 25 August 2020. [HAYDER INDHAR/AFP via Getty Images]

Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture yesterday warned of the emergence of Koi herpesvirus (KHV) in fish across a number of governorates.

“Over the current week, the monitoring and investigation teams for prevalent diseases in veterinary hospitals have discovered the emergence of Koi disease in the provinces of Anbar, Saladin, Babil and some areas in Baghdad,” a ministry statement said, according to Alsumaria

The ministry added that authorities had called on fish breeders to refrain from “raising different ages of fish in the same aquariums.”

“Fish breeders should adhere to the ministry’s instructions to prevent the spread of the virus until a treatment is available.”

In September Iraqi fishermen reported finding thousands of dead fish floating in rivers, though the reason remains unclear, locals believed fish importers were poisoning local supplies.

READ: Iraq bans import of 29 agricultural, animal products

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