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Posts: 485
Location: On my favorite lake! | I saw an article on the Chicago tribune site that a fish virus called VHS has killed quite a few fish in Huron and Erie. I guess the virus is getting close to Lake Michigan. Muskies, perch and freshwater drum have been some of the most effected fish. I hope this thing doesn't destroy Green Bay. The Great lakes are really having some interesting challenges VHS , the asian carp trying to get in , zebra mussells and the gobys. |
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| Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) reared its ugly head a couple of years ago and killed a lot of muskies on the Eastern end of Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence river. Many species of fish are susceptible to this virus and it could only be a matter of time before it sets back our fisheries beyond repair. It has also effected other species including pike and bass.
Zebra mussels, quagga mussels, and round gobies are foreign invaders brought in from ballast water on large ships. All three have had negative impacts on our aquatic environments. If you talk with fisherman who target Lake Trout in Lake Ontario, they will tell you that their catch rates are significantly lower than a decade ago. Round gobies consume large amounts of lake trout fry and bass fry. One positive aspect is that they also consume large numbers of zebra mussels. Anyway you look at it, our fisheries have suffered from loose regulations and enforcement of foreign vessels entering the great lakes region. Google a few of these topics and you will discover the future does not look bright for our fisheries.
Irish Hammer
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | VHS is a major concern for all of us. It appears to be spreading quickly and it's up to us to slow it down. This doesn't take fish to fish contact to spread, it can be moved with water. We need to clean boats, livewells, bilge areas, tralers, etc. to keep this contained in the Great Lakes.
There's only one way to stop this stuff and the government isn't willing to force ocean going vessels to clean their ballast water. It's up to us as sportsmen to make sure these vessels stop bringing in unwanted species and diseases by supporting any legislation that will stop this nightmare. |
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What Will said. Exactly. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Well....at least there will be jobs for water resources guys! |
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| Hey pointer how'd you know I was a water resources guy? |
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| Hey pointer how'd you know I was a water resources guy?
Steve Horton |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I dont....I was reffering to me. |
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| Oh. Ok. I wish there was more we could do but its really out of our hands. The powers that be have been warned over and over again but they fail to act or fail to impose laws that protect our lakes. One of the things that is almost impossible overcome is the fact that we are not only trying to propose laws amongst the states that border the great lakes but also two countries. Canada has shown in the past that they have very little interest in protecting the lakes. Even if we choose to stop American bound salties from dumping there ballast here the Canadian bound ones will continue to do it. Write your congressman and tell him. I did.
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Posts: 1086
| When moving a boat from one body of water, which might contain the VHS disease...what would the necessary steps be to take with the boat so that we're not transporting that disease into inland waters?
Obviously...I know to drain the live wells, the bilge area, and drain the motor completely of any/all water, I know to remove any/all weeds from the boat and trailer once pulling the boat out of the water, and I know it's good to let the boat sit and air dry for a certain amount to time before dropping the boat back into another body of water.
Is there something that we should wash through our live well system and in the hull near the bilge area to clean/kill off any remaining VHS worries?
How long can the VHS live out of the water? Meaning...if you were let a boat sit and air dry for a week or more...would you then be okay to drop that boat back in another body of water? Or would that VHS still have some vitality to it to withstand a week or more without washing the entire boat down with something to kill it off effectively?
Does warm soapy water work?
Reason I ask is I like to hit Lake Michigan for Salmon from time to time and I'm hoping to venture to Lake St. Clair at some point which I know LSC indeed has the VHS within that body of water. I certainly don't want to bring that VHS back to any inland lakes.
Edited by MACK 2/1/2007 2:51 PM
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Usually a bleach/water solution will work. |
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Posts: 26
Location: Wisconsin | We caught this 44" musky the last day of the 2006 season in Green Bay, any ideas what this might be.
Tom P
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Posts: 8833
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2007
Contacts: Kelley Smith 517-373-3375, Gary Whelan 517-373-6948 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014
Department of Natural Resources Confirms Spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in Great Lakes
Recent analyses of fish sampled from northern Lake Huron have confirmed the existence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in lake whitefish, walleyes and Chinook salmon, Department of Natural Resources fisheries officials announced today. VHS is a virus that causes disease in fish but does not pose any threat to public health.
The analyses that were completed earlier this week establish that VHS has now been confirmed in lake whitefish samples from the Cheboygan area, in lake whitefish and walleye samples from the Thunder Bay area, and in Chinook salmon samples from the Swan River egg-take station near Rogers City.
"The continuing march of VHS through the waters of the Great Lakes is a major challenge to our agency and our management options," said DNR Director Rebecca A. Humphries. "These new discoveries are extremely unfortunate and further highlight the problems created by the constant introductions of new diseases from outside of the Great Lakes region, the speed with which they can spread, and the threat that such pathogens pose to our natural resources."
VHS was detected in lake whitefish from the Cheboygan area after re-analyzing samples collected in 2005 during a survey for bacterial kidney disease (BKD).
"It is not unusual for us to collect fish that have unknown viruses, which typically require a significant effort to properly identify," said Gary Whelan, fish production manager for the DNR. "Once we had indications of VHS in other samples of fish from Lake Huron, this sample was retrieved from storage and fully analyzed by Dr. Mohamed Faisal at Michigan State University."
Samples from the Thunder Bay area were collected last fall during a mortality event that included lake whitefish and walleyes.
"At the time, we suspected that the cause of the mortality might be related to VHS," said Kelley Smith, chief of the DNR Fisheries Division. "Because the fish were so badly decomposed, however, it is still not certain that VHS caused these fish to die since botulism was also a possible cause. But given the detection of VHS and the fact that the mortality occurred during the spawning season both implicate VHS as the probable cause of death of these fish."
A number of Chinook salmon observed at the Swan River egg-take station last fall also showed signs of VHS infection, Whelan said. A standard fish health inspection that is annually conducted by the DNR Fisheries Division on this key broodstock did document VHS in both female and male fish, including one fish exhibiting clinical signs of VHS. Standard methods for disinfecting the eggs were applied last fall at the egg-take station prior to transfer of the eggs to the state's hatchery facilities. To date, all lots of Chinook salmon hatched from these eggs and being reared in DNR hatchery facilities have been tested and all are negative for VHS, which is attributable to the disinfection methods that have been employed at all the DNR's egg-take stations for many years.
"This shows that our standard disinfection procedures, similar to those used on the West Coast where VHS has been found for a long time, were effective in protecting our hatcheries and the fish reared in those hatcheries," Whelan said.
DNR officials have been in contact with personnel in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, alerting them to the new confirmations of VHS in Lake Huron fish, and outlining the steps being taken by the DNR in response to this new information.
"In the continued battle to slow the spread of VHS throughout the Great Lakes, we must remain vigilant, take every precaution, and implement all options available to us," Smith said.
Those actions include:
* Reclassification of Michigan's waters of Lake Huron, including
Saginaw Bay, as a VHS Positive Management Area. In addition to Lake Huron, the management area encompasses the state's waters of the St.
Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and Lake Erie.
* Reclassification of Michigan's waters of the St. Marys River
from the Soo Locks to Lake Huron and all of Lake Michigan as a VHS Surveillance Management Area.
* Sampling efforts for several fish species, including walleyes,
emerald shiners and lake whitefish will be significantly increased in the new VHS Surveillance Management Area.
* Additional testing of all lots of Chinook salmon in the state's
hatchery facilities that originated from eggs collected at the Swan River weir will be conducted prior to stocking those fish in the state's waters.
* A prohibition on the trap and transfer of live fish that are
collected from the state's waters of the Great Lakes for management purposes unless the fish have tested negative for VHS.
* Increased efforts to inform anglers and others about the dangers
of VHS, especially to inland waters of the state. Anglers are asked not to move live fish between the Great Lakes and inland waters, particularly minnow species, and to use standard disinfection techniques for boats, live wells and other equipment. See www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing for more information on helping prevent the spread of disease and invasive species on the Great Lakes.
Citizens are encouraged to report sick fish or fish kills to their local DNR office or use the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Anglers should contact the DNR if they observe fish that exhibit any of the following signs: hemorrhaging in the skin, including large red patches particularly on the sides and anterior portion of the head; multiple hemorrhages on the liver, spleen, or intestines; or hemorrhages on the swim bladder that give the otherwise transparent organ a mottled appearance. This information will help DNR fisheries staff to track VHS and take appropriate management actions to help slow the spread of this virus.
Anglers and boaters can also help prevent the spread of VHS and other viruses or bacteria that cause disease in fish by not transferring fish between water bodies, and by thoroughly cleaning boats, trailers, nets, and other equipment when traveling between different lakes and streams.
The use of a light disinfectant such as a solution of one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water (i.e., one gallon of bleach to 10 gallons of
water) to clean vessels and live wells is very effective against VHS and other viruses and bacteria that cause disease in fish. Soaking exposed items such as live wells, nets, anchors, and bait buckets in a light disinfectant for 30 minutes is also an effective method to prevent the spread of a wide range of aquatic nuisance species.
In 2005, VHS was detected for the first time in Great Lakes fish species in the US and Canada, including muskellunge in Michigan's waters of Lake St. Clair and freshwater drum in Lake Ontario. It is not known how VHS was transferred to the Great Lakes region or how long it has been in the waterways of the Great Lakes.
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Posts: 1086
| Tom P....that could be from lampreys.... |
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| Hey Tom,
Those might be fresh Lamprey marks....or.....it could be VHS.
Forward that picture to Lee Meyers at the Green Bay DNR office.
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Posts: 32930
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | This has been discussed here quite a bit. The press release has been in the Research forum for a while now.
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=31... |
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Posts: 26
Location: Wisconsin | That picture was given to the DNR by my brother and we have not heard anything back. Our first thought was lampray marks but they seem pretty deep.
I hope that it was lamprays.....
Tom P |
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| There are 2 type of Lamprey marks....not sure the technical jumbo on what they are callled but one is less intrusive without long term application or adhession, while the other is more severe with actual tooth penetration from the lamprey. If those are Lamprey marks on your fish I'm sure they would be the more severe class. |
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| Tom P - 2/1/2007 3:38 PM
We caught this 44" musky the last day of the 2006 season in Green Bay, any ideas what this might be.
Tom P
Sea Lamprey for sure. There are many other lamprey species that are not harmful to muskies, they've been living together for millions of years. The Sea Lamprey however is another invasive that is bad news that created some huge problems with Lake Trout. |
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Posts: 8833
| What's that other thing, sarco-something-or-other... Could be that? |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Sorry that above post was mine.
A chlorine/water mix of 10% chlorine will kill anything.
Anglers and boaters can take some easy steps to prevent the spread of fish diseases and other aquatic nuisance species such as zebra mussels by taking the following steps to help prevent the spread of the virus:
- Clean boats, trailers, and other equipment thoroughly between fishing trips to keep from transporting undesirable fish pathogens and organisms, from one water body to another with special care to clean fishing equipment when you are done fishing known locations of the fish diseases. A light bleach solution is an excellent disinfectant for cleaning your equipment.
- After cleaning allow boats, trailers, and other equipment to fully dry for 4 to 6 hours in the sun.
- Do not move fish or fish parts from one body of water to another.
- Do not release live bait into any water body.
- Handle fish as gently as possible if you intend to release them and release them as quickly as possible.
- Refrain from hauling the fish for long periods in live wells if you intend to release them.
- Report unusual numbers of dead or dying fish to Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division offices.
- Educate other anglers about the measure they can take to prevent the spread of fish diseases and other aquatic nuisance species.
The problem is that we can't spray all the ducks, geese, cormorants and other birds that can carry "dirty" water to inland lakes. It's only a matter of time before this gets to a lake in your backyard.
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| Now that is something I hadn't really contemplated, Will. Kind of scary. I guess only time will tell if it really has a noticable impact on the fisheries. Lets hope it wipes out more lampreys than muskies. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | esoxaddict - 2/1/2007 5:18 PM
What's that other thing, sarco-something-or-other... Could be that?
Lymphosarcoma usually appears as a raised area but can also look like an open wound. These usually appear on the back 1/3 of the fish, not unlike Piscirickettsia (muskie pox). However, the location, size and apparent depth of the sores on the fish pictured above are indicative of Sea Lamprey.
Edited by Will Schultz 2/2/2007 12:00 PM
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