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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | I read about "rock snot" the other day & became curious. ->
http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/06-07/mar24.html
It seems this algae can be transfered via the fisherman's clothing. What about the lure (flie's) he/she is using that come in contact with the algae? The good side is it seems to not like lakes, i.e. only flowing water.....
This also got me thinking about VHS. How can we "the fishing community" practically help prevent the spread of VHS in WI, MN, Ontario, or the waters we fish? F. ex. fishing Green Bay. You catch an infected fish (Salmon, Lake Trout, Walleye, Whitefish, Perch, or Muskie), I don't think it matter's what the species. How can we practically prevent the transport of the virus to the next water we fish?
It would seem we would have to disinfect everything that may have come in contact with the fish. With muskies that may mean your boat, your fish handling gloves, your lure, your reel, the line, your net, your release tools, your clothes if you get slimed, etc, etc. What is practical?
Thought's?
Have fun!
Al
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Posts: 8824
| Well Al, if its like other viral organisms it only survives under certain contitions, which means your line, lures, net, etc. might contain the virus if you come into contact with an infected fish, but its very unlikely that the virus will survive long enough on any of those items to be transferred to another body of water. Where it becomes tricky and very scary is the places you wouldn't ordinarily think of. Let's say you have a taillight on your trailer that fills up with water for example...
The obvious stuff is easy -- minnow buckets, livewells, transferring fish from one lake to the other, catching your own suckers and using them on a bunch of different lakes, all those things will have to stop. But it only takes one fish to swim upstream into a different lake, one Eagle to drop a fish in a different lake, one guy emptying a bait bucket.
If birds, animals, or amphibians are able to transfer the virus there is no stopping it.
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | Al,
I think you hit on a key concept there - 'practical'.
Disinfection is really only probably needed in something like a livewell where water would remain for an extended period of time (although boat bunks have the potential to remain damp for quite a while too). Equipment such as rods, reels, lures, gloves, release tools, etc. are probably not too much of a concern as they usually get a chance to dry completely prior to another trip, and they have somewhat more limited contact with the water. If one does fish waters that are possibly infected and hop to another in a short period of time, some sort of washdown may be prudent.
The reality of it is that we live in such a mobile society, the eventual spread is something we can probably only slow down. Education is key, and the more people that know about the potential dangers of invasive species, the easier it will be to slow the spread. Of course, some things are beyond our control, i.e., migratory birds, etc. So little is known about many of these invasives, they may turn out to be less of a problem than originally thought, but for now, it's probably prudent to err on the side of 'overly cautious'.
S. |
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Posts: 154
Location: Appleton, WI | The rock snot example brings up an interesting point that one of the replies mentioned, boat bunks, that could be a perfect breeding/carrying ground. I have not seen any info on how good the virus is at surviving on surfaces ie do they need to be dry wet etc and how long the virus survives. I think people do need to take this seriously, my feeling right now is on small bodies of water this could be disasterous. I know of one lake in the UP it has been documented, so that will be interesting to watch. I think the other part of a proactive approach would be to get the ballast issue straightened out on the Great Lakes. How many more wonders do we need to see from this ship ballast before there is action. Can the fishing line carry it, would it survive on wet bucktail or maribou, I think these are all legitimate concerns that should be addressed. |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | The organism causing 'rock snot' is not a virus, but an algae. I believe it will die if dried out completely.
S. |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | I fully understand one is a virus, versus the other being a primitive plant. The real issue is transport. I haven't seen where drying out an algae like rock snot will completely kill it, i.e., how dry for how long? Viruses can also survive extreme conditions, i.e., even conditions that would kill a human. I don't see how it could be practical to stop either one with legislation/new law's. So in reality one SOB who doesn't care will carry either organizim wherever they fish.
Yes- we have way to many exotic's entering the Great Lakes via ballast water- yet our law's, etc. are ineffective. Maybe the fine's need to be astronomical, i.e, to offer incentive to the ship captain's to fully empty and replenish their ballast at sea. Get caught with fresh water in the ballast tanks- +$500k fine.
Is something similar needed for VHS? What's the practical advice from the fisheries biology community to stop VHS, i.e., how can we help stop the spread? Like I said previously the operative word is "practical".
Al |
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