VHS found in Lake Michigan perch

[Jon]

VHS found in Lake Michigan perch
The Capital Times — 6/13/2008 8:18 pm

A week after the dreaded fish disease -- viral hemorrhagic speticemia, or VHS -- was found to have caused a massive large round goby fish kill in Lake Michigan near Milwaukee, the virus has been found in the yellow perch population, the Department of Natural Resources said Friday.

Two Wisconsin laboratories -- the Wisconsin Diagnostic laboratory in Madison and the La Crosse Fish Health Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- confirmed the presence of VHS in yellow perch sampled on June 5, the DNR said. The samples were taken about three miles from the goby kill site.


The VHS virus is not a human threat but has potential to kill a wide range of native game fish, pan fish and bait fish. Until the June 5 samples of perch were tested, VHS had not been seen in yellow perch in Wisconsin.

DNR Fisheries Director Mike Staggs said the impact of VHS on yellow perch will not be immediate. While VHS can kill fish of all ages, the biggest impact appears to be on very young fish, and that means it could take several years before any effects show up in the population.

Yellow perch have been declining for several years in Lake Michigan, and a further reduction in the population would adversely affect both commercial and recreational anglers.

VHS was first diagnosed in fish in the Great Lakes Region in 2005, and has caused large fish kills in the lower Great Lakes in 2005 and 2006. The virus was first found in Wisconsin in 2007 in a freshwater drum in the Lake Winnebago system.



The Capital Times — 6/13/2008 8:18 pm

 

[land shark]

Sweet with all the flooding in Portage maybe the virus will cross over into the Mississippi basin and up the rock to the Madison chain. ORR we could just wait for the jet skis to drag it in ,it would be a lot faster, hell we should just inoculate the lakes and get it over with. then we could work on what to do with the surviving species

 

[Whopperhead]

So........This COULD be the last year for us to shoot Perch in Lake Michigan. (maybe?) At first I was thinking of a 'VHS tape' I was like- "That must be a huge PERCH!" I'm a Dumb arse.

 

[nostres]

At first I was thinking of a 'VHS tape' I was like- "That must be a huge PERCH!" I'm a Dumb arse.

You're not alone Scott...

 

[fleshy]

Wow, that sucks. None the less, I dont think it will completely destroy the perch population. We have VHS warnings around here but it basically just means if you catch any really ratty, bloated looking fish, to dispatch them, and remove them from the lake.

 

[fleshy]

Sweet with all the flooding in Portage maybe the virus will cross over into the Mississippi basin and up the rock to the Madison chain. ORR we could just wait for the jet skis to drag it in ,it would be a lot faster, hell we should just inoculate the lakes and get it over with. then we could work on what to do with the surviving species

Landshark, buddy... calm. Its not that bad. Its serious, but it isnt the bubonic plague.

 

[bgill]

Well it's not the end of the world...But it may affect the Perch fishery in Lake Michigan...However the virus thrives in 40-60 degree water...Thats ALWAYS the temp somewhere in the lake. I hope it does'nt make too big of an impact.

The fishing on Lake Winnebago is fine and they are still catching healthy Yellow Perch, even after a bout with VHS. The lake has not been decimated and infact now that the water is warming there are not many signs of VHS in the system anymore. Maybe only some fish get it and some don't Hopefully the ones that don't get it will have developed anti-bodies that they pass to the next generations - Therebye nullifying the effect of the virus's future outbreaks.

I harvested a few Yellow Perch from LM last year that looked pretty sickly and had sores...I thought VHS then...And maybe it was. Obviously those fish were discarded (in my firepit)...

Lets just hope that VHS does'nt affect LM much differently or worse than it has some of the other lakes it has hit.

 

[fleshy]

Good points bgill. I wouldnt eat a VHS fish, but Ive heard that it isnt harmful to humans? Still, fish that are infected look pretty gross.

 

[Trident]

Wow I am so glad I am not the only one to think that a Perch swallowed a VHS! This is really sad news it seams that were ever you turn there is another nasty that man has put in the environment for our lack of caring. (if I understand the virus right).

 

[Tass]

Gear sanitation per Wisconsin DNR

Complete article at: http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/documents/disinfection_protocols.pdf​

Personal protective gear, including rain gear, gloves, boots/waders ​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]Scrub personal protective gear with the disinfection solution. After scrubbing, the gear should be kept wet with the disinfection solution for the appropriate contact time. Rinse with clean water or water from the next waterbody. Alternatively, personal gear may be steam cleaned or dried thoroughly for five days after cleaning with soap and water. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]The following steps shall be taken every time a boat, equipment or gear is moved between waters to avoid transporting invasive species and/or pathogens: [/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ Inspect
[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]and [/FONT]remove [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]aquatic plants, animals, and mud from your boat, trailer, equipment and gear. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ [/FONT]Drain [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]all water from your boat, motor, live well, bilge, transom wells, as well as from your equipment and gear, including but not limited to tracked vehicles, barges, silt or turbidity curtain, hoses, sheet pile and pumps. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ [/FONT]Dispose [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]of unwanted aquatic plants and animals in an appropriate way. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ [/FONT]Disinfect [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]your boat, equipment and gear by either: [/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ [/FONT]Washing [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]with ~212º F water (steam clean), OR [/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ [/FONT]Drying [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]thoroughly for 5 days after cleaning with soap and water and/or high pressure water, OR [/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]♦ [/FONT]Disinfecting [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]with either 200 ppm (0.5 oz per gallon or 1 Tablespoon per gallon) Chlorine for 10-minute contact time or 1:100 solution (38 grams per gallon) of Virkon Aquatic for 20- to 30-minute contact time. Note: Virkon is not registered to kill zebra mussel veligers nor invertebrates like spiny water flea. Therefore this disinfect should be used in conjunction with a hot water (>104º F) application. [/FONT]​

[/FONT]​

​

 

[bgill]

Liquid pool shock and hot tap water - Rinse with a hose or throw in the washer on rinse.

A pain in the "you know what" but it's worth it to keep the diseaese from spreading quicker.

It seems the "Winnebago" chain has not been terribly damaged by VHS....People still catching lots of healthy fish daily...Even yellow perch. The freshwater drum however did not fare so well...But they are considered a rough fish.

Lets hope Lake Michigan is as resilliant as Winnebago seems to be!

 

[fleshy]

Thats just the thing. Its bad, it deffinatly kills the fish, but it usually only attacks fish that have weakend imune systems. Exe: the young, the old, and ones weakedn by other things such as cold water, or wounds. I know you are all thinking "COLD WATER?!??! WE LIVE IN WISCONSIN?!?" But even in the videos that whopperhead made this past winter you can see the effects of cold water on the fish. Many of them have white fungal growths, and frayed fins that are healing slowly due to the cold temperatures. What I am saying is that I think fish will make it. "Life finds a way..."

 

[Fondueset]

Interesting. I wonder if thats whats going on here - I see a lot of dead round gobies. I've been thinking its just because there are a lot of round gobies period - hence more dead ones. But we've also seen an unusual number of dead burbot, walleye and whitefish - not many - 2 or 3 of each - but still unusual.
Apparently the perch are doing better around here. I'm already seeing more of them and over in East Bay they've been catching Perch in the 16 inch range on a regular basis.

 

[fleshy]

Do the fish appear normal? Or are the bloated, and disfigured on the outside?

 

[Fondueset]

Both. I just talked with the local DNR fish biologist. We have samples into MSU for VHS testing but he mentioned the extreme temp changes as a factor as well. Many species spawn during april/may/june and the temps hit them when they are weakest. He said he's had a lot of reports of dieoffs though - lots of Gizzard Shad, but i also think the numbers of shad are higher this year - the numbers of freshwater drum are skyrocketing too - Zebra Mussels being a primary food for them. No dead drum but I did see a sick one yesterday.

To answer your question more directly though - more than the usual with bulging eyes and a general falling apart look. Many of the dead gobies look that way. The DNR asked for my number and I volunteered to bring them any fish they want. The biologist said something is definitely going on.

 

[fleshy]

Yup, that sounds like a case of VHS, although there are several other common fish afflictions that would offer similar symptoms, none of them are potent enough to be that widespread, that quickly. Heres a picture of VHS. Notice the bleeding, almost like an ulcer on the skin.

 

[Fondueset]

Right, I've seen that in shad - though it was a couple years ago. I am not seeing the hemmoraging on any fish here right now - but theres quite a list of symptoms. Guess we'll have to wait and see what the tests say.

 

[fleshy]

Yup, cool. Let us know how everything turns out.