FEDERAL ORDER - VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS)

Topics concerning muskellunge and fisheries research, diseases, stocking and management.
Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:49 am

Caught, but not released
VHS outbreak leads to a ban on regional shipping

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- When a new disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia apparently was brought into the Great Lakes from the oceans and killed a couple of thousand muskellunge in Lake St. Clair last spring, fisheries biologists hoped it was a transitory event that would blow over.

"We're holding the (bait dealers) meeting here to try to get some answers, do some planning and figure out what our options are," said Tom Knutson, a partner in Knutson's Recreational Sales in Brooklyn, a major retailer and wholesaler of live baitfish in Michigan and surrounding states.

"So far, we're OK for the short term, because they haven't included fathead minnows in the ban, and we can supply bait for the ice fishing season. But that might be only because they haven't done the testing on (fatheads) yet. We don't know how many species this thing might eventually affect."

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 20333/1058

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:40 pm

Note that this Leaflet 83 was last modified: February 26, 2004. The recent outbreaks in the Great Lakes will require some modifications to the Geographical Distribution section and very possibly other sections.

VHS - Fish Disease Leaflet 83
http://www.lsc.usgs.gov/fhb/leaflets/83.asp

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Thu Nov 09, 2006 3:44 pm

Another reason to close Great Lakes

A federal agency has banned transporting 27 species of live fish out of eight Great Lakes states or importing them from two Canadian provinces in an effort to stop the spread of a disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia.
But the ban makes little sense.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 90385/1058

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:17 pm

Live-fish shipping ban controversial

In another development, it remains unclear how the federal order may affect fishing tournaments, such as those for bass or walleye in which fish are kept alive in boat livewells and later released after weighing and measuring. Competitors often cross state or provincial lines - moving, say, among Ohio, Michigan, or Ontario in western Lake Erie, the Detroit River, or Lake St. Clair in some events.

Petering's view is that any movement under the order is a violation, so tournaments would be affected.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /-1/NEWS06

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:51 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2006

Contact: Gary Whelan 517-373-1280 or Ann Wilson 517-335-3014

Natural Resources Commission Approves Resolution
on Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Control

The Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC), at its November meeting last Thursday, issued a resolution that calls for the reversal of a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) that significantly restricts the interstate movement of fish within eight states bordering the Great Lakes, including Michigan.

The emergency federal order issued Oct. 24 by USDA-APHIS prohibits the movement of 37 fish species between the eight Great Lakes states and also prohibits the importation of those species into the U.S. fish from Ontario and Quebec. Intrastate movement of fish is permitted, along with the importation of fish into the Great Lakes region from areas outside the regulated zone. The order was issued to protect aquaculture facilities from the fish disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). This new disease in the Great Lakes has caused widespread fish kills in sensitive fish species but it is not harmful to humans.

“Although we are very concerned about VHS and its potential spread throughout the Great Lakes region, the federal order will significantly and unnecessarily disrupt fisheries management actions and commerce in Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes Basin,” said Dr. Kelley Smith, DNR Fisheries chief.

The NRC resolution requests the USDA-APHIS to 1) immediately amend the emergency order to allow a) the interstate movement of fish to slaughter facilities in any other state in the U.S. for subsequent human consumption only, so long as such facilities have appropriate waste treatment; b) the interstate movement of fish within the eight prohibited states based on the regulations of the receiving state; c) the interstate movement of fish to any other state in the U.S. provided that the state competent authority for aquatic animal health has certified the originating facility and that the testing program meets the requirements of the receiving state; and d) the movement of fish to research/diagnostic laboratories if the state competent authority for aquatic animal health approves of the movement and approves the facility into which the fish will be moved; and 2) immediately issue a second emergency order that bans the uptake of ballast water in any area of the Great Lakes where VHS has been found.

The resolution further requests the USDA-APHIS to work collaboratively and transparently with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Agriculture in the immediate development of an interim rule to replace the emergency order by March 1, 2007.

“These requests are of critical importance for ensuring that the interim rule is appropriately developed, and to eliminate a significant vector for the rapid transport of VHS throughout the Great Lakes Basin via ballast water” Smith said.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural resources for current and future generations.

Larry Porter
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Post by Larry Porter » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:04 pm

Good move. I hope it passes.

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:47 pm

Government modifies Great Lakes fish shipment restrictions

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ ... CTION=HOME

11/16/06 By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Responding to industry complaints, the government has modified restrictions on shipments of some live Great Lakes fish aimed at preventing the spread of a deadly aquatic virus.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service this week revised an emergency order it issued Oct. 24. The order had banned interstate transport of 37 species of live fish from the eight states adjacent to the Great Lakes. Importing those species from the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec also was prohibited.

The revised order allows some fish to be taken across state lines with proper documentation, under conditions that vary depending on how they will be used.

Fish meant for slaughter or research must be sent to approved facilities that properly dispose of waste fluids and carcasses. Those with other purposes must have been tested and found not to carry the virus.

The order targets viral hemorrhagic septicemia, which poses no risk to humans but causes internal bleeding in fish. VHS was discovered in the region last year and is blamed for fish kills in lakes Erie, Ontario and St. Clair and the St. Lawrence River.

Among species susceptible to the virus are popular sport fish such as chinook and coho salmon, rainbow trout, walleye and yellow perch.

"The revised federal order ultimately still protects against spread of the disease but provides more opportunities for the affected industries and producers to move fish," APHIS spokeswoman Hallie Pickhardt said Thursday.

It will remain in effect while the agency learns more about the disease and writes more comprehensive regulations, Pickhardt said.

No deadline has been set for adopting the rules, but "it's a priority for the agency and we'll be moving forward quickly," she said.

Critics said the original order said it could harm commercial fish farms, bait fish vendors and programs that support the region's $4.5 billion fishery. State natural resource agencies routinely swap sport fish for breeding and stocking.

APHIS agreed to changes after a recent meeting at its headquarters in Riverdale, Md., that included representatives of federal and state agencies and the fishing industry.

"Things are definitely going in the right direction," said Chris Weeks, president of the Michigan Aquaculture Association. "Before this modification came out, even fish that were certified VHS-free were restricted, and that was a big problem."

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources praised the revisions.

"The amended order addresses some of the concerns that Illinois' aquaculture industry had in regard to shipping fish that were destined for human consumption by allowing movement of fish to slaughter," acting director Sam Flood said.

State fishery managers believe VHS came to the Great Lakes from Europe aboard ballast tanks of oceangoing cargo ships, considered a leading source of ecologically damaging invasive species.

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Sun Nov 26, 2006 8:22 pm

Proposed ballast ban makes waves
Idea alarms Great Lakes shippers, thrills fisheries

Now that the State of Michigan has floated what has previously been the unthinkable - a ban on Great Lakes freighters using ballast water on many of their traditional shipping routes to prevent the spread of dangerous invasive species - the debate is picking up steam across the region.

But one shipping industry representative says the toll such a ban would take on the region's economy would be catastrophic.

Caught somewhere in the middle is the Great Lakes Commission, a bi-national agency created by the Great Lakes states and provinces to promote both the economic development and conservation of Great Lakes resources.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=535181

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:29 am

Disease looms as next big fish threat

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/grpress/i ... xml&coll=6

12/08/06 By Howard Meyerson The Grand Rapids Press hmeyerson@grpress.com

State fish experts say it is just a matter of time before viral hemorrhagic septicemia moves into Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

The state plans to do everything it can to slow the spread of the fish disease that killed muskies in the Detroit River last spring and has been found in northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill, black crappie, walleye and white bass.

Affected waters include lakes Ontario and Erie, and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers.

Officials say anglers will need to do their part, too. Managing VHS will be akin to managing other invasive species such as zebra mussels which now infest 227 inland lakes, according to Michigan Sea Grant.

You know and I know that those mussels didn't just fly into those lakes. They were inadvertently spread by anglers and boaters who didn't follow the recommended precautions which include:

Clean out boats, trailers

Cleaning boats and trailers before moving them to another water.

Assuring that bilge water, bait bucket and live-well water taken from one lake are not introduced into another.

Unlike the nuisance that zebra mussels pose, VHS is deadly. Not to humans, who are unaffected by the disease, but to fish and those they contact. VHS is readily spread from fish to fish.

"The worst-case scenario is that it gets into inland water and we start having fish kills everywhere," Gary Whelen, fish production manager for the Department of Natural Resources, said.

Whelen met this week with members of the bait and aquaculture industries and Department of Agriculture. He does not expect the worst case to come to fruition. Their meeting began hammering out the many ways they will deal with VHS, such as hatchery-disinfecting techniques, disease monitoring and testing along with learning the extent to which commercial hatchery fish and bait move in and out of the state.

Thirty-nine recommendations have been made to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Council of Lakes Committee.

Likely to spread

Even with all this work, Whelen said VHS likely will move into Lake Huron and then into Lake Michigan, carried by infected, migrating fish. There is no cure for the virus, which causes hemorrhaging, and has been called "the Ebola of fisheries."

The disease, thought to have been introduced via ballast water from an ocean-going ship, will be something "we need to manage around," Whelen said.

"It will be fish moving from Lake Huron into Lake Michigan that will be the vector for the disease," he said, adding that experts who know the disease never have seen such large-scale die-offs on freshwater before.

"That's why people are pretty nervous about it. It kills pretty quickly. We don't want to see it in inland waters or where we have sensitive fish populations.

"It's not in Lake Michigan now but we are guessing it will be two to four years before it shows up."

Roughly 80 percent of the bait sold in Michigan comes from out of state, according to Whelen. In the future it will be tested to assure it is free from this disease. It will have to be certified as such and that's likely to bump the cost up a bit.

Bait, Whelen said, typically has come in from four sources. Much of it used to come from Ontario, the Niagara River specifically. But that trade slowed considerably because of the border-crossing complications that grew out of 911.

Minnesota is the main source today. Wisconsin and Arkansas also provide bait. The federal Department of Agriculture's November decision to ban interstate transfer of live fish in the Great Lakes region has since been modified to allow it under certain circumstances, provided the fish are tested for the disease.

"We're going to try to minimize the effect on anglers, to provide the most protection at the lowest cost," Whelen said. "We want to make sure the bait supply is not VHS positive. Currently it is not tested. This is something we will see go into effect next spring."

Whelen said anglers will play an essential role in slowing down the spread of the disease.

"If they are fishing in a fish-kill zone and have a livewell full of water, they should discharge it there. They shouldn't take fish from any infected area to another. And people who are stocking ponds should make sure they buy from authorized dealers or VHS-free hatcheries.
Many, he added, buy or acquire fish for their ponds from someone they know. You know -- a buddy down the road -- who has his own source or likes to fish.

"We have lots of folks who do that and it's not a good idea," Whelen said.

The guy who cuts corners could very well put you and your fish pond at risk. And if your pond spills into another body of water, in flood conditions or otherwise, it is just a matter of time before the problem grows much much bigger.

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:47 pm

MINUTES – NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION NOVEMBER 9 PAGE 6
Commissioner Garner made a motion, supported by Commissioner Madigan, to adopt the following resolution:

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS) RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) has been found in the Great Lakes Basin resulting in significant mortalities of a wide range of fish species, including muskellunge in Lake St. Clair and yellow perch in Lake Erie; and

WHEREAS, VHS could have profound impacts on many game fish species in the Great Lakes Basin that support a multi-billion dollar sport fishery; and

WHEREAS, VHS could have profound impacts on many fish species collected and/or reared by the baitfish industry and those reared at private aquaculture facilities in Michigan, resulting in significant economic impacts to those businesses throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, the Great Lakes Fish Health Committee under the aegis of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has developed over 40 provisions to control the spread of VHS in the Great Lakes that were adopted by the eight Great Lakes States, the Tribes, and the Province of Ontario on October 18, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Michigan has been testing for VHS in the State’s fish hatchery system for the past thirteen years and has yet to detect the virus in any State hatchery; and

WHEREAS, Michigan has been requiring testing for VHS in private aquaculture facilities for the past seven years and has yet to detect the virus in any private aquaculture facility that stocks fish into Michigan’s waters; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), has unilaterally issued a blanket, emergency Federal Order preventing the interstate movement of 37 fish species between the eight Great Lakes States and importation into the United States from the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Order unnecessarily prohibits ongoing management activities in the Great Lakes conducted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, given the provisions to control the spread of VHS that have been adopted by all of the fisheries agencies with jurisdiction for management of aquatic resources in the Great Lakes Basin; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Order unnecessarily inhibits ongoing operations of private baitfish dealers and aquaculture facilities in Michigan that are regulated by the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture, given the provisions to control the spread of VHS that have been adopted by all of the fisheries agencies with jurisdiction for management of aquatic resources in the Great Lakes Basin; and

WHEREAS, the likely vector of transport for VHS into the Great Lakes was via discharge of ballast water circa 2002; and

WHEREAS, the most significant human-induced avenue for spread of VHS throughout the Great Lakes Basin is the transport and subsequent discharge of ballast water at ports throughout the Great Lakes.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Michigan Natural Resources Commission requests the USDA-APHIS to 1) immediately amend the emergency Federal Order to allow a) the interstate movement of fish to slaughter facilities in any other State in the U.S. for subsequent human consumption only, so long as such facilities have appropriate waste treatment; b) the interstate movement of fish within the eight prohibited States based on the regulations of the receiving state; c) the interstate movement of fish to any other State in the U.S. provided that the State competent authority for aquatic animal health has certified the originating facility and that the testing program meets the requirements of the receiving State; and d) the movement of fish to research/diagnostic laboratories if the State competent authority for aquatic animal health approves of the movement and approves the facility into which the fish will be moved; and 2) immediately issue a second emergency Federal Order that bans the uptake of ballast water in any area of the Great Lakes where VHS has been found.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Michigan Natural Resources Commission requests the USDA-APHIS to work collaboratively and transparently with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Agriculture in the immediate development of an interim rule to replace the emergency Order by March 1, 2007; and A copy of this resolution will be submitted to USDA-APHIS, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Michigan Department of Agriculture, and other partners as determined by the Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Motion to adopt the resolution unanimously carried.

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:52 pm

I was with MDNR Fisheries Gary Whalen today at Ludington. Gary told me the Feds APHIS will be at the Crown Plaza at Romulus Wed, Jan 10, for 8:30am 3-4 hour conference. Expect major VHS developments and Q&A, but Gary has no specific details what they will announce yet.
Contact: Gary Whalen 517-373-6948

We talked later about muskies and VHS, but it does not sound good for near future. There will be a large grant request going to the GLFT for VHS research and projects. Will keep posted.

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Tue Jan 09, 2007 3:57 pm

This is a followup to above post meeting. The talk by Gary Whelan was heartbreaking.

NOTE:
Other local stocking programs may be affected. DNR Lake Michigan Management Unit Fisheries Supervisor Tom Rozich said VHS could affect local walleye and muskellunge plants.
“The walleye rearing program for ’07 is up in the air right now,” Rozich said. The DNR has collected samples from the Titabawassee River and will collect samples in the coming months from the Muskegon River and Bay de Noc, he said.
The presence of the virus in baitfish could affect the state’s muskellunge rearing at the Wolf Lake Hatchery, as well, according to Rozich. “I’m sure the muskie feed will have to be tested and certified disease-free,” Rozich said.

New fish virus could be a little as 2 years away from Lake Michigan

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news. ... y_id=34509

1-9-2007 By JOE BOOMGAARD Daily News Staff Writer

“Don’t shoot the messenger.”

That was Gary Whelan’s message about a new, potentially devastating fish disease as he began his talk to the more than 100 anglers and concerned citizens Saturday at the Sea Grant Fisheries Workshop at the Ramada Inn of Ludington.

Whelan, the state’s manager of fisheries hatcheries talked about the affects of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia and the frustrations of dealing with the federal government regarding the virus.

VHS causes massive internal hemorrhaging of the internal organs of a known 37 species of fish in the Great Lakes basin, including muskellunge, freshwater drum, yellow perch, bluegills, crappie, shad, northern pike and suckers. It is not known to cause harm in humans. Emerald shiners, a popular baitfish, are also known to be infected.

The presence of VHS “has not been confirmed in salmonids, and it’s not known if they’re susceptible to this isolate” or strain of the virus, Whelan said.

An industry alert published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said the strain infecting fish in the Great Lakes “appears to be a new strain of the virus” and noted the virus was known to affect salmonids. The virus is also known to occur in several different isolates — each with their own genetic type, according to a DNR briefing paper.

Whelan traced the movement of VHS since it was initially noticed in muskellunge in Lake St. Clair in the fall of 2005. Since then, it has been noticed in fish in Lakes Erie and Ontario. VHS likely got to the Great Lakes in 2002 via ballast water in ocean-going ships from the Maritime Provinces, according to Whelan.

“There are not a lot of other vectors besides ballast water that made sense to us,” he said.

He said if the virus can spread by infected fish, it could be seen in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan in two to four years because of the “tremendous amount of interchange between the lakes.”

“But if ballast water is the vector, all bets are off,” Whelan said, noting that tests in the major shipping ports of Duluth and Chicago have thus far come up negative.

“If it gets to Chicago, it’ll get into the Mississippi River system and then it becomes a national problem,” he said.

“It will have an effect on native fish populations. How much will it be, we really don’t know. It’s a new virus and we don’t have a lot of experience on it. The experts can’t even give us good answers on it. For fish populations that have never seen VHS — we don’t know what it will do. We’re hoping to get research done this year on susceptibility.”

The virus does well in cold temperatures, surviving in water as cold as 35 degrees and living optimally in water cooler than 58 degrees.

The APHIS ban and the virus itself could cause havoc for the bait industry and, tangentially, sport fishing, he said.

In October, APHIS issued a shipping ban on all live fish from the Great Lakes region, a move Whelan said he was made aware of the day before the ban was announced via a “listen-only” conference call.

A meeting was held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in Washington, D.C. to work out some of the problems caused by the shipping ban after many fisheries managers were taken by surprise.

“It has not been a terribly comprehensive public process,” Whelan said of APHIS’s procedures. “It’s not how we would do it.”

The initial order would have prevented the movement of live fish to research laboratories and slaughter facilities, but under the amended order issued by APHIS Nov. 14, such movement is allowed.

A public hearing sponsored by APHIS about VHS is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10 at the Crowne Plaza at the Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus.

The order applies only to live fish, and Whelan said if APHIS stays consistent with its past orders, he didn’t suspect fishermen who travel to Ontario and other parts of Canada to have problems bringing fish home. The most often affected parts of the infected fish are the internal organs, which are not near the skin or the flesh, according to Whelan. Freezing fillets reduces the viability of VHS, he said, and fresh fillets pose only a “low risk.”

The state’s Skamania strain steelhead program, which originates from Indiana hatcheries, should not be at risk since all of the smolts are tested to ensure they are disease-free before shipment, Whelan said. The state stocks the Skamania strain in the Manistee River. It gets the smolts for the program by trading Little Manistee strain steelhead smolts with Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources.

Other local stocking programs may be affected. DNR Lake Michigan Management Unit Fisheries Supervisor Tom Rozich said VHS could affect local walleye and muskellunge plants.

“The walleye rearing program for ’07 is up in the air right now,” Rozich said. The DNR has collected samples from the Titabawassee River and will collect samples in the coming months from the Muskegon River and Bay de Noc, he said.

The presence of the virus in baitfish could affect the state’s muskellunge rearing at the Wolf Lake Hatchery, as well, according to Rozich.

“I’m sure the muskie feed will have to be tested and certified disease-free,” Rozich said.

VHS is frequently carried in sexual fluids, including ovaries or spawn, often used by anglers as bait. Whelan said the state hasn’t yet taken a position on the movement of eggs.

“I caution against moving eggs around all over the place, but it depends on the source of what the eggs is,” Whelan said. “If they come out of a completely clean waterbody, it wouldn’t be a problem at all. If they’re take eggs out of Lake Erie right now and coming into Michigan, I’d be pretty concerned about that because they have a high probability of hauling it back with them.

“If the eggs are fresh and still have the ovarian fluids with them and come out of positive water — and those fish happen to be also positive — they’re going to bring that disease with them. It can last up to two weeks in ovarian fluid if it’s kept cool. There’s not a lot of data on how long this virus lives outside of a fish.”

While the government agencies keep close watch over the spread of the virus and try to slow its movement, Whelan said it’s up to anglers and boaters to help. As with preventing the proliferation of other exotic species, fishermen should not transport bait from one waterway to another and should avoid moving livewell and bilge water. Disinfection of gear is also important, he said.

“(VHS) is kind of a weenie,” Whelan said. “You can damn near look at it and kill it.”

Leaving gear exposed to sunlight for a while or cleaning with a bleach solution should do the trick, he said.

Whelan asked anglers to report finding fish showing symptoms of the disease to the DNR as soon as possible. VHS is most noticeable on fish organs and causes them to look bloody. Whelan said it’s best to keep the fish on ice and not freeze it.

On Monday, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources placed a ban on the harvesting of live bait from the “infected zone” — from the St. Clair River through the rest of the Great Lakes waterway to the south and east, including Lakes Erie and Ontario — and on transporting live bait out of the “buffer zone” — which includes Ontario’s Lake Huron shoreline and an area north of the infected zone. Live fish movements in the “virus-free zone” in northern Ontario are not restricted.

---

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia at a glance

WHAT IS IT?

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is a fish disease that may cause bulging eyes, bloated abdomens, inactive or overactive behavior and hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills, and at the base of the fins. It also attacks the internal organs of fish, leaving them bloody looking. Fish mortality is highest in low water temperatures between 37-54 degrees Fahrenheit. The virus poses no threat to humans.

WHAT SPECIES ARE AFFECTED?

VHS has been found in 37 species, including muskellunge, smallmouth bass, northern pike, freshwater drum (sheephead), gizzard shad, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, rock bass, white bass, redhorse sucker, bluntnose sucker, round goby and walleye. It has not been confirmed in salmonids in the Great Lakes, but has been known to infect those species.

WHERE IS VHS FOUND?

VHS was observed as early as 2005 in freshwater drum in Lake Ontario and in muskellunge in Lake St. Clair. In 2006, VHS was blamed for fish die-offs in muskellunge in Lake St. Clair, freshwater drum and yellow perch in Lake Erie, and round gobies in Lake Ontario.

HOW IS VHS SPREAD?

Fisheries managers don’t know for sure how VHS has spread. They’re guessing the virus moved to the Great Lakes from the Maritime Provinces via ballast water from ocean-going ships in 2002. Biologists believe the virus can move between fish populations, making them worry all of the Great Lakes could eventually have a VHS presence.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP VHS?

In the short term, boaters and anglers can disinfect their equipment with a bleach cleaning solution. Managers are urging anglers not to move fish from known infected waters to uninfected waters. They also ask anglers to leave all bait and livewell water in the lake from which it was taken.

Source: DNR, USDA

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:36 am

Bait shop owners worry spread of VHS disease could decimate minnow sales

Testing will raise prices some, but the real crunch will come in the spring and summer, because the testing takes several weeks and the emerald shiner minnows most anglers want can be kept alive for only a few days once the water starts to warm.

One of the country's biggest suppliers of emerald shiners and other minnows predicts that bootleg bait will show up in tackle shop tanks if smaller stores are unable to get the legal kind readily and economically.

APHIS held meetings recently in Michigan and other states to hear comments on proposed new rules for shipping baitfish. It's a surprisingly large business, with tens of millions of minnows moving across the country every day to supply anglers, aquaculture and ornamental fish farms and even sport fish-rearing operations. A Michigan Department of Natural Resources hatchery spends about $50,000 on minnows every year to feed baby muskellunge.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 80375/1058

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:11 am

New virus killing fish
Disease worries Lake St. Clair, Detroit River anglers

Scientists do not consider viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) a threat to human health. But it could deal a severe blow to many local industries that thrive off the fish in Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, the Detroit River and the St. Clair River.

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 40394/1003

For your file:
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?u ... ofile=1003

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:40 pm

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.

The DNR is committed to conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations.

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