New Fish Disease

Friends,

The US Dept. of Agriculture reported last week that Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus, an extremely serious fish disease, is emerging in the Great Lakes region. VHS has been found in the waters of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River.

This strain is responsible for die-offs in muskellunge, smallmouth bass, northern pike, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, rock bass, white bass, redhorse sucker, bluntnose sucker, round goby, and walleye.

How VHS was transferred to the Great Lakes or how long it has been in the ecosystem is not known. Mortality is highest at low water temperatures between 37 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit. This suggests we may be seeing more severe die-offs into the fall and winter.

Some fish will show no external signs while others show signs that include bulging eyes, bloated abdomens, inactive or overactive behavior, and hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills, and at the base of the fins. Infected fish may also have lesions that look like those caused by other fish diseases.

Please clean your fishing equipment, boats, and trailers before using them in a new body of water and do not transfer any fish or fish parts from one body of water to another. These practices will help slow the spread of this disease. Report any die-offs on your regular captain's report.