Wild marine fish caught from a sea loch on the West Coast of Scotland were tested for infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). One pool of 10 hake was found to be IPNV positive from 449 fish tested. This is believed to be the first isolation of IPNV made from hake caught in northern European waters. This was the only positive pool obtained from the study, illustrating a low prevalence of IPNV in wild marine fish caught from this location. The infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) has been isolated from a number of fresh water and marine species of fish (Munro et al., 1976; Mortensen et al., 1993; Diamant et al., 1988). IPNV is the causative agent of clinical infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). This is currently the most serious viral disease of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the EU (Ariel & Olesen, 2002) and causes varying levels of mortality in the marine and freshwater life stages of this species (Smail et al., 1992). The prevalence of IPNV in Scottish salmon farms has steadily increased each year since 1996 by 10% in marine and 2 – 3% in fresh waters and by 2001 had reached up to 80% in some salmon producing regions of Scotland (Murray et al., 2003). The prevalence of IPNV in Scottish wild freshwater fish was reported to be less than 1% by Munro et al., (1976). There is limited published information on IPNV from wild marine species in Scotland, with one isolation being reported from common dab (Limanda limanda), (Diamant et al., 1988). Due to the diversification of aquaculture in Scotland, the cultivation of marine species such as cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is increasing. Determining the prevalence of IPNV in wild marine species is therefore important in view of the potential for the transfer of disease agents between wild and farmed fish. The study was carried out in a sea loch, situated in Argyll on the West Coast of Scotland in December 2002 (Figure 1). This sea loch is approximately 5km long, up to 800m wide with a maximum depth of around 40m. Demersal trawling was carried out from the fisheries research vessel Aora operated by the University of Glasgow to catch wild marine fish. The catch was sorted into individual species, kept cool on ice and taken to a shore-based laboratory for sampling.