FEDERAL ORDER - VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS)

Topics concerning muskellunge and fisheries research, diseases, stocking and management.
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Cyberlunge
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Cornell Identifies VHS in new species

Post by Cyberlunge » Sun May 20, 2007 1:32 pm

Cornell Lab Confirms Deadly Fish Virus Spreading To New Species
Science Daily — A lethal fish virus in the Great Lakes and neighboring waterways is approaching epidemic proportions, according to Paul Bowser, Cornell professor of aquatic animal medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), which causes anemia and hemorrhaging in fish, has now been identified in 19 species and poses a potential threat to New York's $1.2 billion sport-fishing industry.


VSHV-positive gizzard shad collected during a fish mortality investigation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2007 from Lake Erie near Dunkirk, N.Y. (Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University News Service

"It's pretty obvious this is an epidemic even if it isn't official," said Bowser. "There are just so many species affected and so many mortalities."

Three new fish kills have occurred in 2007 in New York waters since the virus was identified in the Great Lakes Basin in 2005. In the St. Lawrence River, hundreds of thousands of round gobies have succumbed to the disease; gizzard shad die-offs from VHSV in Lake Ontario west of Rochester and in Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie also have been reported. This month the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources made a presumptive identification of the virus for the first time in the Lake Winnebago chain of inland lakes about 25 miles south of Green Bay on Lake Michigan; confirmation is pending. And millions of dead freshwater drum formed windrows of carcasses along the beaches of Lake Erie in 2006, all victims of VHSV.

Other species from the Great Lakes Basin area that have tested positive by Cornell include bluegill, rock bass, black crappie, pumpkinseed, smallmouth and largemouth bass, muskellunge (New York's No. 2 sport fish), northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, channel catfish, brown bullhead, white perch, white bass, emerald shiner, bluntnose minnow, freshwater drum, round goby, gizzard shad and burbot. Roughly 1,600 fish have been tested at Cornell since May 2006. Bowser suspects the virus may have originated from an infected marine fish off the Atlantic Coast and that the virus is still relatively new to the region. Other possible sources of the virus include the movement of infected fish by airborne or terrestrial predators, anglers using infected bait minnows, contaminated fishing equipment or live water wells in boats, boating activities and ballast water.

"Basically, we don't know how it got here, but it is here and it's spreading," said Bowser. "It would be wonderful if we did know. However, I don't think we ever will."

The Great Lakes VHSV is not related to the European or Japanese genotypes and poses no health threat to humans, said Bowser. However, as a general rule, people should avoid eating any fish (or game) that appears abnormal or behaves abnormally. Not all infected fish, however, exhibit symptoms. Some may be carriers, and visible signs of the disease may vary from species to species.

Containing the spread of the virus in New York will require restrictions on the movement of live fish, testing fish and surveillance. For instance, New York state regulations require that bait fish be used in the same body of water from which they were collected unless they have been tested. In Wisconsin, new emergency rules prohibit anglers and boaters from moving live fish and require them to drain their boats and live wells before leaving Wisconsin's Great Lakes waters, the Mississippi River and those tributaries up to the first impassable dams, according to the Associated Press.

The spread of the virus could have a devastating impact on aquaculture and particularly the channel catfish trade, which constitutes about 80 percent of aquaculture business in the United States, said Bowser. Catfish is a very popular food fish in the Deep South.

"We have detected VHSV in channel catfish in our surveillance efforts," said Bowser. "The ability of the virus to go beyond a carrier state and cause disease in this important aquaculture species is a major research question we plan to investigate this year."

Cornell researchers have been assisting the New York state VHSV surveillance in collaboration with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell’s Biological Field Station, Oneida Lake and the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry–Syracuse Thousand Island Biological Station on the St. Lawrence River. Researchers also are working with support from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Earlier this year Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine received a two-year, $181,000 grant from the New York Sea Grant Program to advance a rapid technique, developed by Cornell virologist James Casey, for detecting the deadly virus. Current tests take a month, while the Cornell test yields results within 24 hours. Researchers hope to have the new technique validated by the end of 2007 and all fieldwork completed by the end of 2008.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Cornell University.
If I wasn't born to fish then why am I here?

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Sun May 20, 2007 10:36 pm

Attached is the newly revised VHS order that clarifies some of the issues that have come up since our originalrelease. This will go to the NRC June 7, and can also be found on our Fisheries web site.
Jim Dexter
Lake Michigan Basin Coordinator
Fisheries Division
621 North 10th Street
Plainwell, MI 49080
269-685-6851, ext 116

Here is the link to DNR site that Dexter mentioned.

Revised Fish Disease Control Order up for Action at the June 7, 2007, Natural Resources Commission (NRC) Meeting This version replaces the version that was discussed at the May 10, 2007, Natural Resources Commission (NRC) Meeting. http://michigan.gov/documents/dnr/FishD ... 5763_7.pdf

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Tue May 22, 2007 10:43 pm

From Kelley Smith:
"The Department has been working with Central Michigan University on a Public Service Announcement related to VHS and what anglers can do to help. That PSA is now being aired on Public Television and we are pushing it out to commercial stations as well.

We have also put the PSA on our web site (www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing) - click on the link to "Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)". Please pass the word on to others that this is available on our site.

Jim Dexter
Lake Michigan Basin Coordinator
Fisheries Division
621 North 10th Street
Plainwell, MI 49080
269-685-6851, ext 116

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PSA

Post by Will Schultz » Wed May 23, 2007 8:45 am

Self interest is for the past, common interest is for the future.

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Thu May 24, 2007 3:45 pm

Lake Erie adapts to deadly fish virus
VHS is there, but isn't killing

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindeal ... xml&coll=2

05/24/07 D'Arcy Egan Plain Dealer Reporter degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

A virus deadly to Great Lakes fish might have run its course in Lake Erie.

But it has surprised state fisheries agencies in Wisconsin, Michigan and New York by jumping quickly to inland lakes and reservoirs.

Ohio has escaped the spreading disease, according to fish samples collected from Lake Erie to the Ohio River this spring.

"We've tested fish from Lake Erie, the Ohio River and many lakes in between," said Ray Petering, head of fisheries management for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. "All of our samples have been negative."

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, most likely arrived in the lower Great Lakes in the ballast of ocean freighters.

While generally confined to the lower Great Lakes, it has slipped inland into the Finger Lakes region in New York, Budd Lake in Michigan and the Lake Winnebago System in Wisconsin.

Many fisheries biologists believe it is only a matter of time before the virus spreads throughout the upper Great Lakes. Petering isn't so sure that massive fish kills, like the sheepshead that died last spring around Lake Erie, are predictable.

"I'm cautiously optimistic VHS may have taken from Lake Erie what it's going to take," Petering said. "We can go out there and find the virus in test fish, but it's not killing them. That's classic of diseases that have been around for a while."

If fish are healthy and their immune systems function properly, they can fend off the virus. VHS affects fish but not humans.

The rapidly warming waters of Lake Erie make it unlikely a ma jor outbreak of the virus is around the corner.

The disease thrives in 37- to 54-degree water, and the west end of Lake Erie has already gone above that temperature range.

If there are no reported fish kills by the middle of June, said Petering, Ohio will have dodged the VHS bullet this year. A lack of outbreaks could mean the virus has run its course.

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Fri May 25, 2007 10:53 pm

First cases of fish disease found in Lake Michigan
Trout near Algoma has tested positive

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 07/GPGnews

05/25/07 By Karen Lincoln Michel Press-Gazette Madison bureau

MADISON — The first cases of the deadly fish disease known as VHS have been found in Lake Michigan, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday.

DNR Secretary Scott Hassett told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that a brown trout washed up on shore near Algoma in early May and has since tested positive for viral hemorrhagic septicemia, making it the first recorded case of VHS in the western Great Lakes.

"We're not aware of any fish kill, or anything of that nature," Hassett said.

He said the disease's spread to Lake Michigan is not surprising.

"We did our emergency rules in April in anticipation that this would happen because it was in the Eastern Great Lakes," he said. "We assumed it was in Lake Michigan."

On Thursday, the DNR also got confirmation that some of a 40-fish sample of smallmouth bass taken recently from routine fyke net survey work in Little Sturgeon Bay tested preliminary positive for VHS. None of the fish had any clinical signs of the virus.

Paul Peeters of Sturgeon Bay, the DNR's Lakeshore Fish Team Supervisor, said he submitted samples of additional species to the lab earlier this week for VHS testing.

"We suspected it was here, and now we know it's here," said Peeters. "It's time to focus our intentions on keeping it from getting into other (inland) waters."

Peeters said it's important for people to realize this is a disease of fish, and that there's no human health risk from eating a fish that might carry the virus.

It's possible the DNR will hear about more dead or stressed fish after a busy holiday weekend of boating traffic. Peeters said it's not as important seeing a single fish now, though he still likes to hear from fishermen.

Just last week the DNR announced that VHS had been found in Little Lake Butte de Morts and had entered the Lake Winnebago System.

The agency has reported that the disease causes fish to bleed to death, and that once the disease has been detected in an area it cannot be eradicated.

Hassett said he's unsure how widespread the disease has become.

"It doesn't mean the whole lake is going to get it … because it's a tremendously large body of water," said Hassett. "We expect to see different pockets or areas that pick up the infection, if it's anything similar to what's happened in the Eastern Great Lakes."

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Tue May 29, 2007 10:20 pm

Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs will meet Wednesday (5/30) at 1:00 PM to take up:
Pending referral:

SR 66 - A resolution to urge Michigan's congressional delegation to secure supplemental funding to control the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in fish populations.

SCR 12 - A concurrent resolution to urge Michigan's congressional delegation to secure supplemental funding to control the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in fish populations.

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COs will enforce VHS rules at ramps

Post by Hamilton Reef » Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:12 pm

COs will enforce VHS rules at ramps
Disease presents ‘opportunity’ to halt ballast-borne invaders

http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news. ... y_id=36382

BRIAN MULHERIN - DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
bmulherin@ludingtondailynews.com 843-1122, ext. 348

ROGERS CITY — Boaters who don’t drain their boats as they leave the water this summer may be ticketed, DNR Fish Production Specialist Gary Whelan said Friday at a meeting with the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association.

As part of an emergency order to slow or halt the spread of the fish disease viral hemorrhagic septicemia, boaters in Michigan are required to drain all water from their livewells, baitwells, on-board coolers and bilges when their boat leaves a body of water.

“Don’t move water over land,” Whelan said of the key to keeping the virus out of inland lakes.

While VHS is at its core a biological problem, keeping it out of inland lakes is a social challenge, Whelan said.

Conservation officers will patrol the state’s boat ramps this summer to make sure the regulations are followed. Creel census personnel are also expected to help spread the message about the dangers of moving water from lake to lake, he said.

He explained that anglers moving their boats from lake to lake in the same weekend should either dry their boats for four to six hours in sunlight or wash down their boats with a light bleach solution mixed at a ratio of a half cup to five gallons.

Only one inland lake in Michigan, Budd Lake north of Clare, has been shown to be infected with VHS. Whelan said that lake most likely contracted the disease that wiped out scores of crappies, bluegills and even muskies from infected live bait or from a “bait-bucket biologist” who moved gamefish to Budd Lake from a VHS-infected body of water.

Whelan said the DNR has stepped up monitoring of inland lakes this summer, following the general guideline of looking closest at the lakes that got zebra mussels first.

In late May, Wisconsin officials announced they had confirmed positive tests for VHS-infected fish from Lake Michigan. One of the fish was a smallmouth bass from Sturgeon Bay and another was a brown trout from farther south. At this time, Lake Michigan is still considered a VHS surveillance zone by Michigan officials, but Whelan said that can be expected to change in the not-too-distant future.

Once Lake Michigan is part of the VHS-infected waters, anglers won’t be able to transport bait from the Lower Peninsula or from the Lake Michigan watershed of the Upper Peninsula to waters in the Lake Superior watershed, which is still considered VHS-free.

Whelan said the virus most likely came to Lake Michigan via ballast water, since the strain in the Great Lakes closely matches one from the maritime region of Canada. There are concerns that Duluth, Minn., which has the second-highest ballast water exchange rate on the Great Lakes, will be the next place the virus shows up. If that happens, the virus will get into the Mississippi River system.

But the one silver lining to the virus spreading to lakes Michigan and Huron, Whelan said, is that it has brought the problems associated with ballast water into the headlines again. It might just be the event that finally triggers some real ballast water controls, he said.

“Of anything I’ve seen in my career to deal with ballast water, this is our best opportunity,” Whelan said. “We will never see an opportunity like this again.”

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:32 am

Anglers play vital role in controlling spread of VHS

Gary Whelan, a manager for the fisheries division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said the only way VHS can be kept under control is for anglers to play a role in slowing its spread and follow the rules when a new fish disease control order goes into effect June 28.

"This order is designed to make anglers part of the solution instead of part of the problem," Whelan said, adding that while the disease is already established in parts of the Great Lakes, other parts of the big lakes and nearly all inland lakes are disease-free.

I've already heard some anglers say that they'll get bait wherever they want and use it wherever they like. It's more evidence of the antipathy to the DNR that has developed among the people who should be the agency's strongest supporters.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 00654/1058

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DNR Fishing Regulation Changes

Post by Hamilton Reef » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:19 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2007

Contacts: Gary Whelan 517-373-6948, Kelley Smith 517-373-3375, Todd Grischke 517-373-6762 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014

DNR Fishing Regulation Changes Reflect Disease Management Concerns with VHS

A series of fishing regulations signed by Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries recently are designed to enlist anglers and the bait industry as allies to slow the spread of fish diseases, particularly Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). The regulations go into effect on June 28.

“These regulations are critical to our efforts to slow the spread of VHS, along with other fish diseases, and we must have anglers and the bait industry as allies in this effort as the DNR cannot do this on our own,” said Humphries.

The regulations are very similar to those presented to the Natural Resources Commission in May. Some modifications were made based on public input at that meeting, along with those of NRC members, which clarified some areas of the regulations. The key modifications were: baitfish and fish eggs (roe) can only be used on a hook, which does allow the use of spawn sacks; the locations where fish can be released by catch and release angling; both the Disease Management Areas and Prohibited Species List are now appendices to allow for simpler changes; the use of roe for human consumption without fish disease testing will be allowed; and the bait certification process has been improved and clarified.

“The approved regulations are designed to provide a set of best management practices for anglers and the bait industry and are consistent with those of other states and the Province of Ontario,” said DNR Fisheries Chief Dr. Kelley Smith. “They are an education tool to make our anglers and the bait industry full partners in the fight against fish diseases, such as VHS.”

The key highlights of the new regulations are:

* The regulations only apply to species on the Prohibited Species List. The key baitfish species for anglers are spottail shiners, emerald shiners, bluntnose minnows, white suckers, and Pacific herring (frozen for cut bait). The key species for fish eggs (roe) are Chinook salmon, coho salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout/steelhead.

* Bait includes live, dead, frozen and parts or cut bait including fish eggs (roe).

* Anglers will get a receipt from the bait shop which will tell them where they can use the bait and if is certified VHS-free, which can be used anywhere in the state.

* Receipts are valid 7 days.

* Uncertified bait from a bait shop or collected by anglers is restricted on where it can be used. Baitfish from VHS positive waters can only be used on VHS positive waters, VHS surveillance waters baitfish can be used in VHS surveillance or positive waters, and baitfish from VHS-free waters can be used anywhere in the state. The key for anglers is knowing the location of the Disease Management Areas, and that information will be available at the bait shops and on the DNR Web site.

* Bait and fish eggs can only be used on a hook if they are on the Prohibited Species List. The use of spawn sacks is acceptable. Anglers cannot release minnows when done fishing and must dispose of them when leaving the water. The release of many baitfish or large amounts of fish eggs by anglers that are potentially VHS-positive is an easy way to spread the virus, fisheries officials warned.

* When practicing catch and release fishing, you may only release a live fish back into water that the fish can freely swim into from the location it was caught. This applies to catch-and-immediate-release and catch-and-delayed-release (tournament) fishing. This will prevent the virus from being transported by live fish to new waters.

* All water must be emptied from live wells and bilges when leaving a body of water. This regulation applies to all boaters and will prevent the virus from being transported by infected water.

In addition, the key highlights for retail and wholesale minnow dealers are:

* There is a certification process that will allow dealers to provide disease-free bait for Michigan anglers. It is a two-stage process that includes both the holding facilities and the baitfish.

* It is not required that baitfish be certified. Certified baitfish can be used anywhere in the state and provides the most options for anglers. Uncertified bait is restricted to where it can be used.

* Both wholesale and retail minnow dealers must tell their customers on their receipts where the baitfish was taken, the lot or transaction code, and what disease management area it can be used.

* Receipts must be kept for one year.

The DNR Fisheries Division is asking the retail and wholesale minnow dealers to help educate anglers on where they can use their bait and which species are of concern for spreading VHS. Information packets are in development to help with this task and the DNR Web site will have the most up-to-date information.

“It is critical that anglers and the bait industry keep an eye on the DNR - Fisheries Division Web site (www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing) for changes to the Disease Management Areas and the Prohibited Species List,” Smith said. “The order will be periodically updated with new information and the Web site will have the changes to the order that will be issued by the Director. We will make all new information available to the public through the news media as well.”

The importance of having angler and bait industry involvement in fish disease control is critical, fisheries officials said.

“The DNR and other fisheries management agencies in the Great Lakes can implement all possible disease control measures, but without the anglers and bait industry as full partners in this effort, these measures will be in vain and fish diseases will rapidly spread to sensitive fish populations,” said Gary Whelan, DNR fish production manager and chair of the Great Lakes Fish Health Committee.

For more information on VHS and other fishing-related topics in Michigan, go to the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing.

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

Hamilton Reef
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:08 pm

State's bait rules haven't hurt sales so far

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

07/13/07 By Howard Meyerson Press Outdoors Editor hmeyerson@grpress.com

When the state moved earlier this year to contain the spread of the newest Great Lakes fish disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, some feared the commercial minnow supply would dwindle or become too expensive.

But area bait suppliers say that has not proved to be a problem. There is plenty to be had and prices are holding steady, though new documentation requirements have made selling minnows more complex and put a few people on edge.

"We haven't seen a change in pricing yet," said Jim Jager, the buyer for Bob's Gun and Tackle in Hastings. "The only inconvenience is we now have to key in every bait sale and the name of the customer."

It used be that bait sales were entered into the "walk-in" sales category, Jager said.

But new state rules went into effect June 28 that restrict where certain bait and baitfish can be used. Bait that is certified as disease-free can be used anywhere in the state.

Non-certified bait also can be used. But where it can be used is restricted if it is on the state's prohibited bait list.

The rules require bait sellers to extensively document the origin of the restricted bait they sell and tell anglers the zone in which it can be used. State fisheries officials don't want minnows collected in a VHS positive zone used in waters where the disease is not present.

Anglers using the restricted bait also have to carry a detailed store receipt which is good for only seven days.

Anglers and bait sellers are being given until Labor Day to learn the rules. After that, conservation officers will begin tightening up enforcement. Meanwhile, the major bait wholesalers also are moving to develop disease-free certifications for their products.

"We are giving them two to three months to get used to what they need to do," DNR Lake Michigan basin coordinator, Jim Dexter said. "Our strategy is to slow the disease down and buy some time to learn more about it.

"We absolutely know that it will spread, but we hope to educate the public about how to be good stewards and not move the disease around."

Bait dealers say there have been no big problems, but occasional anglers balk at the idea of restricting where they can fish with the bait they've bought.

"We've gotten some static from people who have walked out a little perturbed," Grandville Live Bait owner Dave Thompson said. "Some guys say, 'I will use the minnows where I want to,' but that has only been two or three percent of the people.

"I don't like the rule, but I stand with the DNR. My customers fish Reeds Lake, Big Wabasis, Pretty Lake, Gun Lake, Mitchell Lake and a lot of inland lakes where there isn't the disease. But they could spread it quickly if the minnows were infected. And that would hurt everyone."

Dexter said the new rules have been developed in concert with bait sellers and wholesalers, who wanted the ability to deal in both certified and uncertified bait products.

Dealers who collect their own minnows in VHS positive waters, for instance, wanted to sell them for use in those waters, where no averse impact would likely follow.

State officials, on the other hand, wanted protections that would deter having them used in VHS-free waters.

"Allowing them to sell uncertified fish makes it complicated for the retailer, but it preserves their ability to sell whatever they want," Dexter said. "We didn't want to do anything that was economically devastating."

Dealers who sell both are required to simply follow the rules for uncertified fish because of the potential of contaminating certified fish within their facility.

Some dealers, like Thompson, sell minnows they buy and others they collect. Thompson said 20 percent of his inventory comes from the Grand River, a VHS surveillance area. Those minnows are permitted to be used in similar or VHS-positive waters.

The other 80 percent Thompson buys from a wholesaler who deals in non-certified fish species that are not on the state's restricted list. Thompson said he is adamant about letting customers know which bait is which.

"The industry could collapse from the virus and that would be devastating for everyone," he said.

Other area bait dealers are choosing instead to bypass the list completely or to buy certified bait for maximum flexibility.

"It's too early to tell what will happen, but so far there has not been a big hiccup," said Brad Nowak, the store manager for Gander Mountain in Kentwood. "So far, none of our customers have said anything."

Gander Mountain sells minnows that are not on the prohibited list. As such, they don't require certification nor a receipt. But Nowak said he will look to buy certified in the future if the store decides to carry any restricted species.

Merle Shoemaker, the store manager for Al and Bob's Sports in Grand Rapids, said bait sales are a substantial part of the store's business. So far, he said there has been no problem with supply or price.

Customers, he said, don't seem concerned.

"Fatheads are probably our biggest-selling minnow," Shoemaker said. "They are not on the list.

"Golden shiners we can sell as well. We see a big demand for sucker minnows which get used for pike fishing, but they won't be available.

"Emerald shiners are a species we have sold in the winter. But they are on the list and I'm sure that golden shiners can take their place for winter ice fishing sales."

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:37 pm

Feds to help fight fish virus

http://miningjournal.net/stories/articl ... leID=20744

09/30/07

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will make $1.5 million in contingency funds available to control a deadly fish disease in the Great Lakes and surrounding states.

The funding will focus on education, testing, and surveillance and compliance efforts to prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia.

U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich, announced the funding recently.

“We don’t have a minute to spare in fighting the spread of VHS,” said Levin. “This funding will help prevent its introduction into Lake Superior or more of our inland lakes, fish hatcheries and aquaculture facilities. With more resources dedicated to keeping tabs on VHS, I am hopeful that we can better track this deadly disease and, hopefully, bring an end to its terrible impact on the Great Lakes.”

VHS, an invasive species that causes Internal hemorrhaging and death in many different species of fish, has been reported in Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and St. Clair and has recently spread to inland lakes in Michigan, New York and Wisconsin.

The contingency funding provided by APHIS will support upgrades at the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories to improve testing, surveillance and compliance support efforts in coordination with state and tribal agencies in the Great Lakes watershed, and an educational campaign to prevent the spread of VHS.

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Post by Hamilton Reef » Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:05 pm

Scientists seek deadly fish virus in Saginaw Bay

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index ... thispage=1

10/09/07 By JEFF KART TIMES WRITER

State officials are using newly awarded federal funds to help search for a deadly fish virus in the Saginaw Bay watershed.

The virus, called viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, was detected earlier this year in northern Lake Huron.

State Department of Natural Resources officials will be taking samples and running tests in the next week in parts of the Saginaw Bay watershed to see if the virus has spread.

One concern centers on six state-run fish hatcheries, which are used for raising fish for stocking purposes. A walleye brood stock is located in the Tittabawassee River.

''We want to know what sort of risk we might be running if we decide to take eggs and sperm from those fish,'' said Gary Whelan, DNR fish production manager.

Other testing will be done in Tawas and Bay Port.

The efforts are being paid for with part of $1.5 million in contingency funds recently made available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said Karen Eggert, an agency spokeswoman.

VHS causes hemorrhaging in the skin of infected fish, resulting in large red patches on their sides and head and internal organ failure. The virus is not a threat to humans, but is considered an emerging disease in the lakes.

VHS likely was introduced into the Great Lakes around 2002 via the ballast water of ships, experts say.

Of the $1.5 million, $800,000 is being distributed to states. Michigan is receiving $134,000 and adding a match of $57,000, Whelan said.

The money will pay for testing up to 140 lots of fish for the virus at a Michigan State University aquatic animal health lab.

''We're going to be able to expand the number of waters that we can test for VHS, so we can better determine where the disease is - and hopefully where it's not,'' he said.

The Saginaw Bay watershed, Michigan's largest, is considered a high-risk area for VHS.

Besides walleye, lake whitefish and lake trout will be sampled, Whelan said.

He said the threat to the Great Lakes from the virus is still unknown. Large-scale fish kills blamed on VHS have occurred in the last two years in Lake Ontario, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Thunder Bay near Alpena and Budd Lake in Clare County, according to the DNR and USDA.

Whelan said measures put in place to control the spread of the virus seem to be working. The USDA has issued emergency orders that restrict the movement of live fish over state and national boundaries, according to information from Eggert.

''Unlike what some people think, the virus is not everywhere,'' Whelan said.

But he added, ''It's pretty likely that, sooner or later, it will get into most of Lake Huron.''

It's not known what course VHS will take.

It could kill off susceptible adults and disappear into the background. Or, it could move from susceptible adults to young fish, and have major impacts, Whelan said.

More information on VHS can be found online at www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing.

Hamilton Reef
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Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
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Post by Hamilton Reef » Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:13 pm

Law complicates minnow trapping

http://www.leelanaunews.com/blog/2007/1 ... -trapping/

10/14/07 Alan Campbell (alan@leelanaunews.com)

For years, Glen Arbor shop owners Bob and Marie Smith didn't have to worry about minnow sales. A minnow dealer stopped by the Sportsman Shop periodically to fill their tanks, and even took back minnows that died before being sold to fishermen.

“Our tanks are empty,” said Bob Smith, as new regulations aimed at limiting the spread of a virus deadly to some fish stocks have dried up wholesaleters’ main sources of minnows.
The change, however, may be a mixed blessing for the Smiths. Their Sportsman Shop has been designated a commercial minnow trapper by the Department of Natural Resources, meaning they will be able to net their own minnows.

They’re looking forward to the change — and intend to have some fun with it.
“We are putting together our minnow capture team,” said Bob Smith. He expects minnows to begin swarming upstream of Fisher Dam separating Glen Lake from Lake Michigan in coming weeks, when his “team” will swing into action.

“Actually, now we’ll be able to make money on our minnows,” said Smith.

DNR fish biologist Tom Rozich estimated that 95 percent of minnows sold in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan have traditionally been taken from Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. But a deadly fish virus that has made its way through the Great Lakes forced the state to place restrictions on where minnows may be taken and fished.

“I know it’s fairly confusing, but we don’t make these things up willy-nilly,” said Rozich.

The rules, put into affect to prevent the spread of the invasive viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) disease, separate the state into three management areas: VHS positive, transition zones, and VHS free.

Outbreaks of the disease have made their way upstream to the Great Lakes of Ontario, Erie, Huron and Michigan, although waters around Leelanau County are considered transition areas. VHS has been verified in Lake Michigan waters of Wisconsin, but so far not in Michigan.

The disease affects the circulation of many fish species, and can cause die-offs as encountered when a number of mature muskies washed ashore in Lake St. Clair.

However, the muskie population didn’t completely collapse.

“Like people, some members of the population are more susceptible than others,” Rozich said.

Lake trout and salmon can be affected. Walleye are not considered in danger, but are instead “carriers” of the disease.

So var, VHS has only been identified in one inland body of water in Michigan — Budd Lake, near Harrison.

The DNR is hoping to limit the inland spread of VHS through a new layer of rules that restrict how minnows may be transferred from one body of water to another, said Rozich.

Consequently, where the Sportsman Shop’s “minnow catching team” operates is important. Minnows taken by a commercial dealer above the dam on the Crystal River are considered to be VHS free, and may be sold for use anywhere in the state, Rozich said. Those taken below the dam, however, are from a “transition” zone. A sampling of them must be tested before they can be sold.

Essentially, minnows taken above the dam can be used anywhere. Those below the dam can’t be used on inland lakes. The same rules limiting their use are also applied to minnows trapped for private use, according to Rozich.

It remains unlawful to sell minnows without a state license — and the growing mound of paperwork that comes along with it.

Smith is learning about the paperwork. He’ll have to fill out a “daily harvest report” when capturing minnows, and will provide to buyers a certificate verifying that the minnows were taken from a “VHS-free” zone.

The number of species of minnows used for fishing can be staggering, going by common names such as blues, grays, suckers and fatheads. Although the variety of minnows offered for sale by the Sportsman Shop may lessen unless wholesalers find other sources, Smith said the “emerald shiners” he expects to trap are the most popular among anglers.

In fact, commercial trapping of emerald shiners as they migrated by the hundreds of thousands from Glen Lake into Hatlem Creek to spawn each fall led the DNR to cut off their harvest.

“People were collecting way too many,” said Rozich, who requested a DNR director’s order to cut off minnow harvesting in Hatlem Creek and Glen Lake. “We found commercial users there. The minnows are very important to the ecology of Glen Lake.”

Years ago, state Conservation Officer Mike Borkovich caught a downstate wholesale bait dealer with pipes sucking in swarms of emerald shiners from Hatlem Creek. The shiners were being sucked into a large tank similar to that used by septic haulers.

He later calculated the profit potential on the wholesale level as cherished emerald shiners were being sold for $45 per gallon. The tank held 55-60 gallons. Each gallon held about 2,200 minnows — putting the value of the cargo on the retail level at thousands and thousands of dollars.

“It was a tremendously lucrative business from both sides, wholesale and retail,” Borkovich said.

He recently has been inundated with questions from Leelanau residents who plan to collect minnows in the coming weeks for ice fishing. While it is lawful to continue to net and trap minnows in some bodies of water for personal needs, Borkovich said rules need to be followed.

At the top of the list: A license is needed to sell minnows.

“There is no limit on what you can take for your needs. But you can’t sell them, barter them or trade them,” said Borkovich.

Also, minnows cannot be trapped after Sept. 30 from designated trout streams, which include most of the fast-running creeks in Leelanau County.

And as prescribed by the new order don’t use minnows trapped in Lake Michigan or its tributaries below dams on inland waters.

So far, Borkovich said, he has not issued any tickets for violating new minnow rules, which went into effect in June.

“And I don’t want to. My goal is voluntary compliance,” he said.

Hamilton Reef
Posts: 1156
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
Location: Montague, MI on White River

Post by Hamilton Reef » Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:37 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 12, 2008

Contacts:
Gary Whelan, Michigan Department of Natural Resources 517-373-6948
James Winton, U.S. Geological Survey 206-526-7468
Mark Coscarelli, Public Sector Consultants/Great Lakes Fishery Trust 517-371-7468
Mary Dettloff, DNR Public Information Officer 517-335-3014

Multi-State Research Grant Will Focus on Deadly Fish Virus

Lansing, Michigan - The Great Lakes Fishery Trust announced today a $750,000 grant to address viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a deadly viral disease in fish. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center, Michigan State University, and Cornell University have joined together to provide resource managers in the Great Lakes region with new tools and information to better understand, predict, and manage the threat posed by this fatal disease.

The research will compare the effects of VHS on important native and Great Lakes sportfish, including lake trout and Pacific salmon, and develop new and faster detection techniques which are key information gaps on this virus as identified by the Department of Natural Resources.

“This research allows us to be proactive and focus on the highest priority needs for this new and emerging disease,” said Great Lakes Fishery Trust Board Chair and DNR Director Rebecca Humphries. “This funding will provide critical management tools to protect our fish populations.”

First identified in the region as the cause of a large die-off of freshwater drum in Lake Ontario in 2005, VHS is considered a serious viral disease of fish. Since that time, a number of outbreaks have occurred in the Great Lakes with the exception of Lake Superior where it has not been detected. While having no affects on humans, over 25 fish species have been found with VHS in the Great Lakes region. Significant gobies, bluegill, black crappie and gizzard shad have been seen during the period from 2005-2007. It is not known how VHS was introduced to the Great Lakes, or exactly how long it has been in the ecosystem, but the discharge of ballast water from ocean-going vessels is a prime suspect. Within the Great Lakes region, movement of infected baitfish has also been suspected as the source of VHS that has been found in certain inland lakes of New York, Michigan and Wisconsin.

“This intensive, multi-research institute focus on VHS offers the best approach to effectively respond and manage VHS in the Great Lakes region,” said Dr. James Winton, chief of U.S. Geological Survey’s Fish Health Section. “The Great Lakes Fishery Trust is a key funding partner in this effort and should be recognized for this valuable contribution.”

The Great Lakes Fishery Trust (GLFT) was established in 1996 as a result of a settlement agreement with the Ludington Pump Storage Utility Plant on Lake Michigan. The mission of the GLFT is to provide funding to
enhance, protect, and rehabilitate Great Lakes fishery resources. Since inception, the GLFT has awarded over $30 million to enhance and protect fishery resources and provide enhanced shore-based angling access.

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