VHS confirmed in Wisconsin inland lake

[Slimeball]

VHS in Wisconsin.
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /705130734

[Hamilton Reef]

Yes, this is the sad news we've been expecting. Our Green Bay GLS muskie are in direct harms way. The next few months will determine how the GL state agencies will adapt their GLS programs to fit VHS disease policy.

Deadly fish virus in state
Kills in Lake Winnebago system may be just start

The deaths last week of hundreds of sheepshead in Lake Winnebago and Little Lake Butte des Morts signal the presence of a virus responsible for massive fish kills in Lakes Erie and Ontario, a state official said.

In a development that surprised Wisconsin natural resources officials, the virus was confirmed in the water of the Lake Winnebago system of lakes along the Fox River.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=604843 Note the side map of the disease location.

[Hamilton Reef]

Note the side bar maps and information.

WI - Search for fish virus intensifies

The Department of Natural Resources intends to step up the hunt in other Wisconsin lakes for a deadly fish virus discovered in the Lake Winnebago system.

Lakes in the Madison and Lake Geneva areas are likely targets, in addition to heightened surveillance already begun on Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, said Mike Staggs, director of the DNR's Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=605216

[Will Schultz]

[Will Schultz]

This whole VHS deal has alway given me an uncomfotable feeling. You know that feeling you get when you see someone on a ladder about to fall but you know there's no way you can get there in time to help so you just have to watch them fall. This is like that but on a much larger scale...

This is one time when I'm sure Wisconsin isn't happy to beat Michigan. I thought Michigan was going to have the second confirmed VHS positive inland lake with Budd. We'll see what the pathologists at MSU turn up from the fish collected. After Winnebago I don't think anyone will be surprised to see this turn up in inland lakes all over.

[Will Schultz]

Yes, this is the sad news we've been expecting. Our Green Bay GLS muskie are in direct harms way. The next few months will determine how the GL state agencies will adapt their GLS programs to fit VHS disease policy.

Wisonsin abandoned taking eggs from the Lower Fox this year and went back to the original broodstock lake (Long). Hopefully we find that the iodine works on the esocid eggs and we'll be all set.

[Kingfisher]

There is a small positive side to this virus. It seems to blow in and kill fish that are in abundance. It seems Sheepshead are almost always on the death list. No great loss there. It also seems that it leaves strong survivors behind. I talked with Captain Miller last night and he says that the Detroit river is as good this spring as it has ever been. Last years Musky numbers though lower were bigger fish. It looks like this virus will run its course and then become history. I hate to see Muskies die of anything but Nature takes its own course and that course rarely coincides with mans. Mike and Michelle

[Hamilton Reef]

Yes, we need to see some positive spirit when possible. I can vision VHS running its course throughout the entire Great Lakes and beyond. That done, I am proud of the professional fishery biologist and veterinarian teams nationwide working overtime to solve the VHS challenge. I am confident they will figure out a way to adapt to the new VHS world of fishery management. I predict by year 2008 the state agencies will be back on track with new VHS disease policies, fish culture technologies, and muskie culture back in production. We will then only be one year out of production.

[Will Schultz]

Immunity is a great thing and with a system as prolific as St Clair it will recover. However, unless this ballast water issue is resolved it's just a matter of time until the next disease is dumped into the Great Lakes... maybe it is already there and adapting to fresh water. If we start getting one after another then even a lake like St Clair will start to have problems.

So... sure, St Clair can handle something like VHSv but how about Lake Huron that had a huge pelagic species crash and now VHSv on top of that. How about a 1500 acre inland lake that gets treated for weeds stressing the fish and VHSv comes in and causes a widespread kill.

[Kingfisher]

The dumping of ballast water has got to stop. We are at the point where we have to bleach our boats before going to an inland lake after fishing in st Clair. We will not be going to st clair in 2007. Our starcraft did not see any inland waters after fishing st clair last year without being disinfected. The only lake it will be in this year will be lake Michigan. We will use our little boat for inland lakes. But still in all this Virus has not destroyed the fisheries it has hit. It could possibly wipe out a smaller lake but I doubt it. For instance in all the cases it( seems) fish that are over abundent are the ones knocked off. Macatawa could use a couple million sheepshead knocked off. I dont know if Holland would be able to stand the stink though. The big picture looks like nature is thinning out the herd and in some places it is probably a good thing. There was no die off in St clair this year and none in Lake ontario as far as I can tell. I t looks to me like the fisheries behind the virus front have all recovered and are doing fine. I agree that stopping future dumpings by ocean going ships has got to stop before one of them deals us a real nasty killer that turns the great lakes into a rotting cesspool full of dead and dying fish. Polititions on both side of the Isle have done nothing really but make statments and posture. Worthless bass turds all of them. This all could have been stopped 20 years ago. Kingfisher

[gmochty]

Maybe over STOCKING MUSKIES in lakes isn't a good thing? Hmm

[Kingfisher]

Dont get me wrong, I think VHS is a serious threat to small inland lakes. I think its going to infect every body of water in the great lakes region big and small and some lakes are going to get hit pretty hard. Think about the Wisconsin guys who have been jumping back and forth over our border fishing Chicagon,smokey and Thousand Island after being on the winnabago chain. Or guys here in Michigan who have fished Lake huron and Sanford or St Clair and Hudson . The biggest threat of this spreading is by folks who dont even know its there. It reminds me of the book by Steven King (The Stand) How the disease spread like wild fire thru an entire country. Muskies have survived BKD , the sores and now VHS. My thanks go out to all the fishery personal working so hard to keep our waters free from this type of crap. Thanks for the updates and I will be watching the shores of lake Michigan for dead fish . Mike and Michelle

[Will Schultz]

Maybe over STOCKING MUSKIES in lakes isn't a good thing? Hmm

Over stocking any species isn't good. Muskies haven't been and will never be over stocked in any body of water. The Michigan DNR has rules that are followed for stocking all species of fish in Michigan. All fish are stocked at a level that will achieve a specific sustained population in a lake.

[Kingfisher]

I dont think we have ever been able to over stock any lakes with Muskies. On the contrary we have always been short on what is considered the right number per acre. Every lake along the lake Michigan shoreline is starving for Predators as Sheeps head numbers are exploding along with carp and Gizzard Shad. There are no Muskies there or any big Pike to keep these trash fish numbers down. Vhs will probably hit those high numbers of trash fish the hardest. It will look like a bad thing at first but really could benefit the sport fishery if trash fish numbers are reduced.Muskies are a minority in every lake where they exist. The die offs have seemed to be relative to numbers meaning that fish that are over populated seem to be the ones doing most of the dying. Lake webster could possibly take it on the chin as the Musky numbers in this lake are very high. Lets hope this doesnt happen. Mike and Michelle

[Scott Williams]

Macatawa could use a couple million sheepshead knocked off. I dont know if Holland would be able to stand the stink though. Kingfisher

Macatawa had a huge drum die-off last year. Thousands of drum, many shad, pike, walleye, and muskies all were found dead last year. I thought VHS was there last spring.

Those drum are fun to catch by the way!!!