VHS threatens family's guide business
Mike Norton fears the disease would keep anglers from a red-hot fishery
Fourth-generation fishing guide Mike Norton of Princeton has heard about viral hemorrhagic septicemia, and he doesn't like what he hears.
"If it's as bad as they say it is, I don't know why the DNR isn't setting up stations for power-washing," Norton said. "My feeling is if somebody comes to Green Lake, they would need to be certified to launch their boat here."
Norton would like to see visiting anglers stop by a station — perhaps at a county shop or other easily accessible location — and have their boat cleaned, including a disinfecting solution flushed through the bilge. They then would get a sticker allowing a launch within a certain period.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 10540/1233
VHS confirmed in Wisconsin inland lake
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
WI - DNR's VHS dilemma: Lakes or landfills?
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 50625/1233
07/15/07 By Jim Lee Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
MADISON — The specter of viral hemorrhagic septicemia is likely to claim thousands of trout and salmon from Wisconsin's state-owned hatcheries in coming weeks without the disease infecting a single fish.
"We're going to end up with a surplus of fish that we don't have use for," explained Mike Staggs, fisheries director for the Department of Natural Resources.
The fate of those excess fish appears to be burial in a landfill.
It's a conundrum for fisheries biologists.
Discovery of the VHS virus in Lake Michigan and the Lake Winnebago system this spring has the DNR taking steps to prevent spread of the exotic disease, which can be fatal to a variety of fish species.
"Nobody is more concerned about spreading VHS than the department, and we won't do anything to knowingly spread this disease," Staggs stated.
DNR policy is not to "stock any group of fish in 2007 that have tested positive for, or show clinical signs of VHS, nor any group of fish for which testing of their parents or 'broodstock,' the hatchery water supply or the forage fish they were fed has shown a positive VHS result."
Fish from the DNR's old Wild Rose, Kettle Moraine and Lake Mills hatcheries were hatched from eggs collected from the Lake Winnebago system. The Bayfield hatchery utilizes water from Lake Superior, which is thought to harbor VHS.
Fish from all four hatcheries, as well as forage fish used at the hatcheries, have tested negative for VHS. However, as a precaution, the DNR has determined those fish only will be stocked in Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.
"There is no option that is risk-free, but we have decided to err on the side of extreme caution," Staggs stated.
The four hatcheries rear chinook and coho salmon, brown and rainbow trout, walleye, northern pike, sauger and lake sturgeon for the Great Lakes, as well as inland lakes and streams.
With stocking options limited to the Great Lakes, fisheries biologists will be reviewing all avenues to utilize the hatchery output. However, Staggs noted, any stocking must be justifiable from an environmental standpoint.
"There are lots of reasons not to stock fish," he said. "In the stocking world, more is not necessarily better."
Steps are taken to preserve regional genetic differences in fish of the same species and to avoid creating a fishery larger than the food supply, Staggs said.
"Lake Michigan is the obvious example," he noted. "States went overboard in stocking salmon, and in the 1980s, we ended up with way too many salmon for the forage base."
With that lesson in mind, a surplus of hatchery salmon and trout is expected.
Stocking restrictions and new minnow regulations mean some fish may be held longer than intended. They could become malnourished and unsuitable for stocking in any case.
"We'll see if other states can use our surplus fish," Staggs said. "If not ...," it's the landfill.
"I would say that in any particular year, we end up getting rid of fish. This year, the number of fish will probably be more than usual. This year is going to be totally different from other years."
A surplus of walleye is unlikely, as "generally our stocking requests outstrip the quantity of fish we have available," Staggs said.
The department operates 13 fish hatcheries that were expected to produce 14 million fish for stocking this year.
Staggs said the impact of VHS regulations on statewide stocking plans for specific inland lakes and streams this year won't be known until each hatchery assesses its production in coming months and the available fish are allocated.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 50625/1233
07/15/07 By Jim Lee Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
MADISON — The specter of viral hemorrhagic septicemia is likely to claim thousands of trout and salmon from Wisconsin's state-owned hatcheries in coming weeks without the disease infecting a single fish.
"We're going to end up with a surplus of fish that we don't have use for," explained Mike Staggs, fisheries director for the Department of Natural Resources.
The fate of those excess fish appears to be burial in a landfill.
It's a conundrum for fisheries biologists.
Discovery of the VHS virus in Lake Michigan and the Lake Winnebago system this spring has the DNR taking steps to prevent spread of the exotic disease, which can be fatal to a variety of fish species.
"Nobody is more concerned about spreading VHS than the department, and we won't do anything to knowingly spread this disease," Staggs stated.
DNR policy is not to "stock any group of fish in 2007 that have tested positive for, or show clinical signs of VHS, nor any group of fish for which testing of their parents or 'broodstock,' the hatchery water supply or the forage fish they were fed has shown a positive VHS result."
Fish from the DNR's old Wild Rose, Kettle Moraine and Lake Mills hatcheries were hatched from eggs collected from the Lake Winnebago system. The Bayfield hatchery utilizes water from Lake Superior, which is thought to harbor VHS.
Fish from all four hatcheries, as well as forage fish used at the hatcheries, have tested negative for VHS. However, as a precaution, the DNR has determined those fish only will be stocked in Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.
"There is no option that is risk-free, but we have decided to err on the side of extreme caution," Staggs stated.
The four hatcheries rear chinook and coho salmon, brown and rainbow trout, walleye, northern pike, sauger and lake sturgeon for the Great Lakes, as well as inland lakes and streams.
With stocking options limited to the Great Lakes, fisheries biologists will be reviewing all avenues to utilize the hatchery output. However, Staggs noted, any stocking must be justifiable from an environmental standpoint.
"There are lots of reasons not to stock fish," he said. "In the stocking world, more is not necessarily better."
Steps are taken to preserve regional genetic differences in fish of the same species and to avoid creating a fishery larger than the food supply, Staggs said.
"Lake Michigan is the obvious example," he noted. "States went overboard in stocking salmon, and in the 1980s, we ended up with way too many salmon for the forage base."
With that lesson in mind, a surplus of hatchery salmon and trout is expected.
Stocking restrictions and new minnow regulations mean some fish may be held longer than intended. They could become malnourished and unsuitable for stocking in any case.
"We'll see if other states can use our surplus fish," Staggs said. "If not ...," it's the landfill.
"I would say that in any particular year, we end up getting rid of fish. This year, the number of fish will probably be more than usual. This year is going to be totally different from other years."
A surplus of walleye is unlikely, as "generally our stocking requests outstrip the quantity of fish we have available," Staggs said.
The department operates 13 fish hatcheries that were expected to produce 14 million fish for stocking this year.
Staggs said the impact of VHS regulations on statewide stocking plans for specific inland lakes and streams this year won't be known until each hatchery assesses its production in coming months and the available fish are allocated.
VHS
I was up at our lake house around the 4th (Sutherland lake), and talked with some local DNR folks. They were doing spot checks in the Budd lake chain. The die off's seemed to be due to fishing injury, not VHS. There were a number of pike, and Bass that had turned up dead. They are pretty sure we are safe at this point, lets hope it keeps on this course!
Would the child you once were, Be proud of the man you are today?
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
Note: Wild Rose hatchery produces 100 percent of the state's spotted muskies.
Brown trout being held for fall plants in Lake Michigan should go on as scheduled, as should spotted muskies for the Winnebago system and Fox River, Fajfer said. It's possible, he added, that browns being held for inland stocking might be released into Green Bay or Lake Michigan.
VHS fear leads to deaths of 23,000 sturgeon
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 90526/1233
By Kevin Naze Press-Gazette correspondent
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia claimed thousands of valuable fish Monday, fish that were victims of association.
The euthanization of almost 23,000 lake sturgeon at the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery was the first time fish had to be killed in response to VHS.
VHS is not a human health threat but can kill a broad range of native fish. The virus is shed into the water by infected fish, where it can survive for 14 days and be absorbed by healthy fish. The virus can also be transmitted when fish eat infected fish.
Ironically, the sturgeon likely weren't exposed to the deadly virus.
The decision to kill the fish was made by DNR staff in Madison because northern pike eggs from Lake Puckaway were brought into the hatchery before VHS was discovered in the Winnebago system. If those eggs had any hint of VHS, it's possible the virus was in the hatchery waters.
Even though all test results from those fish have been negative for VHS, DNR fisheries supervisor Mike Staggs said the state tests only a representative sampling and does not want to take a chance of introducing the virus to new waters.
Other species from three hatcheries quarantined by the state's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection two months ago — Wild Rose, Kettle Moraine Springs and Lake Mills — are to be stocked into Lake Michigan or the Lake Winnebago system, where VHS is present.
The sturgeon were a different story. Three strains were being raised, fish reared from brood stock spawned in the Yellow, Wisconsin and Menominee rivers.
Though it was thought at least the Menominee River sturgeon could be stocked, opposition came from Michigan and federal officials who were concerned the fish might stray and could dilute the genetic pool of other unique populations.
Approximately 1,033 yearling Wisconsin River lake sturgeon averaging about 10 to 12 inches were killed, as were a pair of 2-year-old, white-coloration sturgeon that workers were hoping to save for live display when hatchery renovation is complete.
Employees were told the rare fish could not even be saved for mounting by a taxidermist, and would have to be disposed of in a compost pile on site.
About 3,537 Menominee River fingerlings, 4,929 from the Yellow River and 13,240 from the Wisconsin River were killed after being weighed for count estimates.
They were close to 2 inches long.
Though they couldn't comment for the record, hatchery employees who worked closely with the sturgeon — and a Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection official on hand to monitor the effort — were frustrated that the sturgeon could not be utilized.
DNR hatchery crews used the chemical MS-222 mixed into water in a large container to kill the young sturgeon. Each tank was dip-netted individually, and the fish were deposited into the solution.
Water was drained after gill movement stopped — within seconds for the young-of-the-year and within a minute for the yearlings — and fish were deposited into doubled-up garbage bags placed inside plastic totes, then transported to the compost pile.
Steve Fajfer, hatchery manager at Wild Rose, said it wasn't the first time fish were killed and composted. If there are more fish raised than quotas are allocated for, the surplus sometimes are destroyed.
"Too many fish from a given year class isn't the best situation," Fajfer said. "But we've never had to destroy an entire year class of all the fish like this before. It's very hard on the staff here. They've put in a lot of hours raising the sturgeon. It's a very sad day for all of us."
Fajfer said the food budget for sturgeon is $10,000, but said the labor is a lot more expensive. DNR staff in Madison are estimating costs per fish by species, but those numbers won't be available for some time, he said.
Assistant hatchery supervisor Randy Larson said newly hatched sturgeon are started out on brine shrimp, and plankton when available. Later, bloodworms — shaved in a time-consuming process by hatchery workers so they're small enough for the 1- or 2-inch fish to eat — are introduced, followed by whole bloodworms, freshwater shrimp and earthworms as the fingerlings continue to grow.
Fajfer said he expected the federal quarantine on Wild Rose to be lifted soon. Decisions on where and when to stock other species in the hatchery will be made soon.
It's likely northern pike destined for inland waters will be placed into Green Bay waters, Lake Michigan rivers and the Lake Winnebago system, he said.
Brown trout being held for fall plants in Lake Michigan should go on as scheduled, as should spotted muskies for the Winnebago system and Fox River, Fajfer said. It's possible, he added, that browns being held for inland stocking might be released into Green Bay or Lake Michigan.
After the sturgeon were composted, Fajfer gave a brief tour of the $16 million, first-phase renovation of the hatchery, which includes building trout and salmon-rearing facilities.
For safety reasons, the existing grounds are closed until late fall so construction can proceed on a visitor's center.
Wild Rose hatchery produces 100 percent of the state's lake sturgeon and spotted muskies for stocking, about 64 percent of its northern pike and 27 percent of its trout and salmon.
Brown trout being held for fall plants in Lake Michigan should go on as scheduled, as should spotted muskies for the Winnebago system and Fox River, Fajfer said. It's possible, he added, that browns being held for inland stocking might be released into Green Bay or Lake Michigan.
VHS fear leads to deaths of 23,000 sturgeon
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 90526/1233
By Kevin Naze Press-Gazette correspondent
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia claimed thousands of valuable fish Monday, fish that were victims of association.
The euthanization of almost 23,000 lake sturgeon at the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery was the first time fish had to be killed in response to VHS.
VHS is not a human health threat but can kill a broad range of native fish. The virus is shed into the water by infected fish, where it can survive for 14 days and be absorbed by healthy fish. The virus can also be transmitted when fish eat infected fish.
Ironically, the sturgeon likely weren't exposed to the deadly virus.
The decision to kill the fish was made by DNR staff in Madison because northern pike eggs from Lake Puckaway were brought into the hatchery before VHS was discovered in the Winnebago system. If those eggs had any hint of VHS, it's possible the virus was in the hatchery waters.
Even though all test results from those fish have been negative for VHS, DNR fisheries supervisor Mike Staggs said the state tests only a representative sampling and does not want to take a chance of introducing the virus to new waters.
Other species from three hatcheries quarantined by the state's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection two months ago — Wild Rose, Kettle Moraine Springs and Lake Mills — are to be stocked into Lake Michigan or the Lake Winnebago system, where VHS is present.
The sturgeon were a different story. Three strains were being raised, fish reared from brood stock spawned in the Yellow, Wisconsin and Menominee rivers.
Though it was thought at least the Menominee River sturgeon could be stocked, opposition came from Michigan and federal officials who were concerned the fish might stray and could dilute the genetic pool of other unique populations.
Approximately 1,033 yearling Wisconsin River lake sturgeon averaging about 10 to 12 inches were killed, as were a pair of 2-year-old, white-coloration sturgeon that workers were hoping to save for live display when hatchery renovation is complete.
Employees were told the rare fish could not even be saved for mounting by a taxidermist, and would have to be disposed of in a compost pile on site.
About 3,537 Menominee River fingerlings, 4,929 from the Yellow River and 13,240 from the Wisconsin River were killed after being weighed for count estimates.
They were close to 2 inches long.
Though they couldn't comment for the record, hatchery employees who worked closely with the sturgeon — and a Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection official on hand to monitor the effort — were frustrated that the sturgeon could not be utilized.
DNR hatchery crews used the chemical MS-222 mixed into water in a large container to kill the young sturgeon. Each tank was dip-netted individually, and the fish were deposited into the solution.
Water was drained after gill movement stopped — within seconds for the young-of-the-year and within a minute for the yearlings — and fish were deposited into doubled-up garbage bags placed inside plastic totes, then transported to the compost pile.
Steve Fajfer, hatchery manager at Wild Rose, said it wasn't the first time fish were killed and composted. If there are more fish raised than quotas are allocated for, the surplus sometimes are destroyed.
"Too many fish from a given year class isn't the best situation," Fajfer said. "But we've never had to destroy an entire year class of all the fish like this before. It's very hard on the staff here. They've put in a lot of hours raising the sturgeon. It's a very sad day for all of us."
Fajfer said the food budget for sturgeon is $10,000, but said the labor is a lot more expensive. DNR staff in Madison are estimating costs per fish by species, but those numbers won't be available for some time, he said.
Assistant hatchery supervisor Randy Larson said newly hatched sturgeon are started out on brine shrimp, and plankton when available. Later, bloodworms — shaved in a time-consuming process by hatchery workers so they're small enough for the 1- or 2-inch fish to eat — are introduced, followed by whole bloodworms, freshwater shrimp and earthworms as the fingerlings continue to grow.
Fajfer said he expected the federal quarantine on Wild Rose to be lifted soon. Decisions on where and when to stock other species in the hatchery will be made soon.
It's likely northern pike destined for inland waters will be placed into Green Bay waters, Lake Michigan rivers and the Lake Winnebago system, he said.
Brown trout being held for fall plants in Lake Michigan should go on as scheduled, as should spotted muskies for the Winnebago system and Fox River, Fajfer said. It's possible, he added, that browns being held for inland stocking might be released into Green Bay or Lake Michigan.
After the sturgeon were composted, Fajfer gave a brief tour of the $16 million, first-phase renovation of the hatchery, which includes building trout and salmon-rearing facilities.
For safety reasons, the existing grounds are closed until late fall so construction can proceed on a visitor's center.
Wild Rose hatchery produces 100 percent of the state's lake sturgeon and spotted muskies for stocking, about 64 percent of its northern pike and 27 percent of its trout and salmon.
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
WI - Area fish hatcheries free of deadly fish virus
http://www.businessnorth.com/kuws.asp?RID=1947
7/24/2007
Fish hatcheries postponed stocking fish across Wisconsin while fisheries officials determined whether they could be spreading a deadly fish virus. Danielle Kaeding reports from Superior.
Hatcheries have been given the okay to go ahead, so hatcheries will resume stocking with stricter guidelines than before. After more than a month of waiting, the Les Voight State Fish Hatchery in Bayfield will resume stocking fish. Hatchery Foreman Mike Rackouski says the hatchery tested negative for the fish virus viral hemorrhagic septicemia or VHS. Still Rackouski says it’s only a matter of time before VHS is found in Lake Superior. “It's going to affect the way we raise fish here. We're going to have to shut our lake water line down. Whenever we stock fish out, we're going to have to use strictly well water. You almost have to treat the water as a toxic substance basically." Rackouski says the hatchery will do what it can to avoid spreading the virus. “The thing that we have to do is take a closer look and be a lot more careful with disinfecting of eggs. Before, we disinfected eggs when we brought them into our egg room. Now, we're going to have disinfect our eggs before we even bring them into the facility.” Rackouski says the virus isn’t just a problem for fish hatcheries. It’s a problem for anglers as well. "Everyone's going to have to chip in with this problem. There's probably going to be another problem down the road. Fisherman going from lake to lake need to make sure that they're disinfecting their boats--that they're not carrying water from one lake to another or fish from one lake to another. You never know what those fish have on them--just like our stocking procedures." Rackouski says so far the hatchery has stocked over 200,000 chinook salmon into the lake. He says VHS could affect the number of fish the hatchery will raise in the future.
http://www.businessnorth.com/kuws.asp?RID=1947
7/24/2007
Fish hatcheries postponed stocking fish across Wisconsin while fisheries officials determined whether they could be spreading a deadly fish virus. Danielle Kaeding reports from Superior.
Hatcheries have been given the okay to go ahead, so hatcheries will resume stocking with stricter guidelines than before. After more than a month of waiting, the Les Voight State Fish Hatchery in Bayfield will resume stocking fish. Hatchery Foreman Mike Rackouski says the hatchery tested negative for the fish virus viral hemorrhagic septicemia or VHS. Still Rackouski says it’s only a matter of time before VHS is found in Lake Superior. “It's going to affect the way we raise fish here. We're going to have to shut our lake water line down. Whenever we stock fish out, we're going to have to use strictly well water. You almost have to treat the water as a toxic substance basically." Rackouski says the hatchery will do what it can to avoid spreading the virus. “The thing that we have to do is take a closer look and be a lot more careful with disinfecting of eggs. Before, we disinfected eggs when we brought them into our egg room. Now, we're going to have disinfect our eggs before we even bring them into the facility.” Rackouski says the virus isn’t just a problem for fish hatcheries. It’s a problem for anglers as well. "Everyone's going to have to chip in with this problem. There's probably going to be another problem down the road. Fisherman going from lake to lake need to make sure that they're disinfecting their boats--that they're not carrying water from one lake to another or fish from one lake to another. You never know what those fish have on them--just like our stocking procedures." Rackouski says so far the hatchery has stocked over 200,000 chinook salmon into the lake. He says VHS could affect the number of fish the hatchery will raise in the future.
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
Fish virus VHS difficult to track over summer months
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00418/1985
08/10/07 The Reporter Staff
One thing that could jeopardize Lake Winnebago fish populations, including perch, is the fish virus viral hemorrhagic septicemia.
The Department of Natural Resources discovered the virus in the Winnebago System in May.
"My world changed on a Saturday morning at quarter to seven," DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist Kendall Kamke said.
Symptoms of the virus are much more likely when water temperatures are below 60 degrees so it's hard to track the virus over the summer months, he said.
"I don't anticipate any VHS-related fish health concerns until we get into fall again," he said.
Fish bleed internally when infected with the virus and the majority of infected fish die, according to the DNR. There is no evidence, however, of any human health risk from eating infected fish.
Some fish that die from VHS show no external signs while others have bulging eyes, bloated abdomen, hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills and the base of the fins, or display inactive or overactive behavior, according to the DNR. Infected fish may also have lesions.
The DNR is studying the virus intently to help reduce its effect on Winnebago and other state lakes. They're hoping the virus will not spread throughout the state. So far, it has only been found on the Great Lakes and in the Lake Winnebago System.
"I hope we dodged a bullet, but I'm not going to be surprised if we find a possible confirmation somewhere in the rest of the state," Kamke said.
For now, people need to change the way they think about boating and fishing in order to stop the spread of the virus.
"I cannot say that or stress that enough," Kamke said. "The first thing that they have to think about now is, 'Where was I?', 'Where am I going?' and 'Did I clean my boat?' All else is secondary to those questions. You can't take back a virus or an aquatic exotic once it gets into a water body."
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 00418/1985
08/10/07 The Reporter Staff
One thing that could jeopardize Lake Winnebago fish populations, including perch, is the fish virus viral hemorrhagic septicemia.
The Department of Natural Resources discovered the virus in the Winnebago System in May.
"My world changed on a Saturday morning at quarter to seven," DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist Kendall Kamke said.
Symptoms of the virus are much more likely when water temperatures are below 60 degrees so it's hard to track the virus over the summer months, he said.
"I don't anticipate any VHS-related fish health concerns until we get into fall again," he said.
Fish bleed internally when infected with the virus and the majority of infected fish die, according to the DNR. There is no evidence, however, of any human health risk from eating infected fish.
Some fish that die from VHS show no external signs while others have bulging eyes, bloated abdomen, hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills and the base of the fins, or display inactive or overactive behavior, according to the DNR. Infected fish may also have lesions.
The DNR is studying the virus intently to help reduce its effect on Winnebago and other state lakes. They're hoping the virus will not spread throughout the state. So far, it has only been found on the Great Lakes and in the Lake Winnebago System.
"I hope we dodged a bullet, but I'm not going to be surprised if we find a possible confirmation somewhere in the rest of the state," Kamke said.
For now, people need to change the way they think about boating and fishing in order to stop the spread of the virus.
"I cannot say that or stress that enough," Kamke said. "The first thing that they have to think about now is, 'Where was I?', 'Where am I going?' and 'Did I clean my boat?' All else is secondary to those questions. You can't take back a virus or an aquatic exotic once it gets into a water body."
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
Wisconsin agriculture department issues new VHS rules
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles ... wi0814.txt
08/14/07 The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — State agriculture officials issue more rules to combat the spread of a deadly fish virus.
Beginning immediately, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is requiring all fish stocked into Wisconsin’s public waters to be tested specifically for the VHS virus that causes a wide variety of fish to bleed to death.
The rules also call for testing bait fish susceptible to the virus and fish raised in private ponds or fish farms before they can be stocked.
Farmers can continue to move fish between farms with only a health certificate, which doesn’t require a VHS test. But they will have to test the fish before stocking public waters.
VHS has been spreading in the Great Lakes and inland waters.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles ... wi0814.txt
08/14/07 The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — State agriculture officials issue more rules to combat the spread of a deadly fish virus.
Beginning immediately, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is requiring all fish stocked into Wisconsin’s public waters to be tested specifically for the VHS virus that causes a wide variety of fish to bleed to death.
The rules also call for testing bait fish susceptible to the virus and fish raised in private ponds or fish farms before they can be stocked.
Farmers can continue to move fish between farms with only a health certificate, which doesn’t require a VHS test. But they will have to test the fish before stocking public waters.
VHS has been spreading in the Great Lakes and inland waters.
-
Steve Horton
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:21 am
- Location: Gladstone
Hamilton, thanks for all the info and updates on this. I too am keeping up on the disease as things develop. Right now it seems that it was blown a little out of proportion but rightfully so. Can't take any chances with this stuff. Last night, on a Green Bay news station I saw people complaining that the cost of a few dozen minnows would go up a dollar because of the testing. A dollar......... and they were complaining. This new invasive has revealed many truths about our resource managers, politics, what the Great Lakes mean to us and what is important to the common person.
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
WI - Area anglers resist permanent controls for fish virus
Sunset clause requested for proposal to fight VHS
A proposal to make permanent measures designed to control and prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS virus, drew concerns at a public hearing Monday night in Green Bay.
"None of these rules are going to work without public cooperation," said Bill Horns, Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes fisheries specialist in Madison. "There aren't enough wardens in the world to thoroughly enforce these rules."
Pete Petrouske of Ashwaubenon said he'd like to see a sunset clause on any permanent rule.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 07/GPGnews
Sunset clause requested for proposal to fight VHS
A proposal to make permanent measures designed to control and prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS virus, drew concerns at a public hearing Monday night in Green Bay.
"None of these rules are going to work without public cooperation," said Bill Horns, Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes fisheries specialist in Madison. "There aren't enough wardens in the world to thoroughly enforce these rules."
Pete Petrouske of Ashwaubenon said he'd like to see a sunset clause on any permanent rule.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 07/GPGnews
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
DNR Says Hatchery Fish Show No Sign Of Virus
WILD ROSE, Wis. -- A state fish hatchery won approval to stock thousands of brown trout in Lake Michigan and its tributaries after meeting new requirements aimed at reducing the risk of spreading a deadly virus found in fish.
The Department of Natural Resources said no DNR-raised fish or hatchery water supply in Wisconsin tested positive for the virus. But the DNR and the state Agriculture Department still are requiring testing for the virus before fish from any DNR hatchery can be used for stocking.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/14168113/detail.html
Previous Stories:
August 16, 2007: Emergency Rule To Expand Testing For Fish Virus
August 6, 2007: VHS Fish Virus Found in Northern Wisconsin
June 25, 2007: DNR Officials Optimistic That Fish Virus Not Widespread
June 11, 2007: Officials: No Widespread Detection Of Deadly Fish Virus
May 29, 2007: DNR Wardens Spread Word About Deadly Fish Virus
May 25, 2007: Veterinarians Learn To Test For Deadly Fish Virus
May 24, 2007: DNR: Deadly Fish Virus Turns Up In Lake Michigan
May 22, 2007: Ag Officials Place 5 Fish Hatcheries Under Quarantine
May 21, 2007: DNR: Anglers Take Steps To Keep Lakes Free From Fish Virus
FISH AND VHS
SURVEY: Worried About Spread Of Fish Virus?
READ: May 24, 2007: DNR: Deadly Fish Virus Turns Up In Lake Michigan
READ: May 22, 2007: Ag Officials Place 5 Fish Hatcheries Under Quarantine
READ: May 19, 2007: More Fish From Winnebago System Test Positive For Virus
READ: May 18, 2007: Board Adopts New Fish Virus Rule For Lake Winnebago Area
WILD ROSE, Wis. -- A state fish hatchery won approval to stock thousands of brown trout in Lake Michigan and its tributaries after meeting new requirements aimed at reducing the risk of spreading a deadly virus found in fish.
The Department of Natural Resources said no DNR-raised fish or hatchery water supply in Wisconsin tested positive for the virus. But the DNR and the state Agriculture Department still are requiring testing for the virus before fish from any DNR hatchery can be used for stocking.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/14168113/detail.html
Previous Stories:
August 16, 2007: Emergency Rule To Expand Testing For Fish Virus
August 6, 2007: VHS Fish Virus Found in Northern Wisconsin
June 25, 2007: DNR Officials Optimistic That Fish Virus Not Widespread
June 11, 2007: Officials: No Widespread Detection Of Deadly Fish Virus
May 29, 2007: DNR Wardens Spread Word About Deadly Fish Virus
May 25, 2007: Veterinarians Learn To Test For Deadly Fish Virus
May 24, 2007: DNR: Deadly Fish Virus Turns Up In Lake Michigan
May 22, 2007: Ag Officials Place 5 Fish Hatcheries Under Quarantine
May 21, 2007: DNR: Anglers Take Steps To Keep Lakes Free From Fish Virus
FISH AND VHS
SURVEY: Worried About Spread Of Fish Virus?
READ: May 24, 2007: DNR: Deadly Fish Virus Turns Up In Lake Michigan
READ: May 22, 2007: Ag Officials Place 5 Fish Hatcheries Under Quarantine
READ: May 19, 2007: More Fish From Winnebago System Test Positive For Virus
READ: May 18, 2007: Board Adopts New Fish Virus Rule For Lake Winnebago Area
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
Wisconsin - DNR pushing for permanent rules to stop fish virus' spread
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=677494
10/23/07 By DAN EGAN degan@journalsentinel.com
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is hoping to make permanent this summer's emergency rules to block the spread of a fish-killing virus that mysteriously popped up in Lake Winnebago this spring.
Nobody knows how viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, arrived in the Great Lakes region, though many suspect that the virus somehow hitched a ride on an oceangoing freighter. It has been migrating west since it was first discovered in Lake Ontario in 2005. It does not pose a threat to humans, but it has been blamed for large-scale fish die-offs across the Great Lakes region.
Wisconsin officials last winter were bracing for its arrival in state waters somewhere in Lake Michigan after it turned up next door in Lake Huron. But it somehow made a leap across the big lake and surfaced first in the Lake Winnebago system.
A likely explanation is someone unwittingly transported contaminated fish or water - or both - to the Winnebago system after fishing in VHS-infected waters somewhere outside the state.
"It could have been anybody, or any entity, moving them," said Mike Staggs, director of fisheries management and habitat protection for the DNR.
The virus subsequently turned up in Lake Michigan. It hasn't showed up in Lake Superior or in the Mississippi River basin, but because those two systems are directly linked to Lake Michigan, for regulatory purposes state officials also treat them as virus-infected.
Now, in an attempt to keep it from potentially wreaking havoc on the rest of the state's inland lakes, the DNR wants to make permanent rules that, among other things, restrict the transport of live fish from infested waters and require boaters to drain their vessels, bait buckets and other equipment before leaving virus-infected waters.
The restrictions would be expanded to any water system where the virus turns up.
That's a slight change from existing emergency rules, which would implement the restrictions statewide if the disease turns up anywhere new.
The disease has been previously found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but the Great Lakes have been invaded by a mutated version of it. What has biologists so worried is its ability to attack so many different fish species.
The federal government has classified dozens of species as likely susceptible, and in the Great Lakes it has already turned up in salmon, whitefish, perch and musky, among others.
Yet the big fish kills that many in Wisconsin had braced for this summer have yet to materialize. About a thousand freshwater drum died in the Lake Winnebago system this spring, and a smattering of dead fish, including some commercially valuable whitefish, turned up with the infection on Lake Michigan this summer.
But experts aren't surprised by the lack of floating fish.
They say the virus, which bleeds its victims to death, does most of its damage in frigid water, and they expect to have a much clearer picture of what its invasion means to the state's $3 billion recreational fishery when the ice melts this spring.
"Everybody is just kind of waiting and holding their breath to see what we get," say Andrew Fayram, a DNR fisheries policy analyst. "I don't think we're out of the woods."
The Natural Resources Board is scheduled to take up the new rules at its meeting Wednesday.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=677494
10/23/07 By DAN EGAN degan@journalsentinel.com
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is hoping to make permanent this summer's emergency rules to block the spread of a fish-killing virus that mysteriously popped up in Lake Winnebago this spring.
Nobody knows how viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, arrived in the Great Lakes region, though many suspect that the virus somehow hitched a ride on an oceangoing freighter. It has been migrating west since it was first discovered in Lake Ontario in 2005. It does not pose a threat to humans, but it has been blamed for large-scale fish die-offs across the Great Lakes region.
Wisconsin officials last winter were bracing for its arrival in state waters somewhere in Lake Michigan after it turned up next door in Lake Huron. But it somehow made a leap across the big lake and surfaced first in the Lake Winnebago system.
A likely explanation is someone unwittingly transported contaminated fish or water - or both - to the Winnebago system after fishing in VHS-infected waters somewhere outside the state.
"It could have been anybody, or any entity, moving them," said Mike Staggs, director of fisheries management and habitat protection for the DNR.
The virus subsequently turned up in Lake Michigan. It hasn't showed up in Lake Superior or in the Mississippi River basin, but because those two systems are directly linked to Lake Michigan, for regulatory purposes state officials also treat them as virus-infected.
Now, in an attempt to keep it from potentially wreaking havoc on the rest of the state's inland lakes, the DNR wants to make permanent rules that, among other things, restrict the transport of live fish from infested waters and require boaters to drain their vessels, bait buckets and other equipment before leaving virus-infected waters.
The restrictions would be expanded to any water system where the virus turns up.
That's a slight change from existing emergency rules, which would implement the restrictions statewide if the disease turns up anywhere new.
The disease has been previously found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but the Great Lakes have been invaded by a mutated version of it. What has biologists so worried is its ability to attack so many different fish species.
The federal government has classified dozens of species as likely susceptible, and in the Great Lakes it has already turned up in salmon, whitefish, perch and musky, among others.
Yet the big fish kills that many in Wisconsin had braced for this summer have yet to materialize. About a thousand freshwater drum died in the Lake Winnebago system this spring, and a smattering of dead fish, including some commercially valuable whitefish, turned up with the infection on Lake Michigan this summer.
But experts aren't surprised by the lack of floating fish.
They say the virus, which bleeds its victims to death, does most of its damage in frigid water, and they expect to have a much clearer picture of what its invasion means to the state's $3 billion recreational fishery when the ice melts this spring.
"Everybody is just kind of waiting and holding their breath to see what we get," say Andrew Fayram, a DNR fisheries policy analyst. "I don't think we're out of the woods."
The Natural Resources Board is scheduled to take up the new rules at its meeting Wednesday.
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
WI - VHS impacts use of bait
Ice anglers must get rid of minnows before leaving water body
"After a guy pays that much for golden shiners, then goes out and has a bad day on the ice and only uses three of them, it's hard to realize you have to kill the rest," Justice said.
"I was in that situation last fall while muskie fishing with suckers. Guides jump from lake to lake a lot. I would put two suckers in the boat and leave several in a cooler in my truck. When one of the suckers got hit or took a muskie, I'd go back to the truck and get another sucker.
"When I got back to the landing, I killed the suckers I had been fishing with — which cost $6 for each one — because I had to start with fresh suckers at the next lake."
Lyle Manteuffel, DNR warden for Marathon County, said muskie anglers he interviewed in November seemed aware of the new sucker handling requirements "though some didn't like it."
Nerva said he's seen ice fishermen adjust to the new rules by utilizing two minnow buckets, leaving one in their vehicle on shore and taking the other on the ice. When additional minnows are needed, they return to shore and take them from the second bucket. Because the second bucket never left shore, those leftover minnows can be retained for future use.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 60666/1233
Ice anglers must get rid of minnows before leaving water body
"After a guy pays that much for golden shiners, then goes out and has a bad day on the ice and only uses three of them, it's hard to realize you have to kill the rest," Justice said.
"I was in that situation last fall while muskie fishing with suckers. Guides jump from lake to lake a lot. I would put two suckers in the boat and leave several in a cooler in my truck. When one of the suckers got hit or took a muskie, I'd go back to the truck and get another sucker.
"When I got back to the landing, I killed the suckers I had been fishing with — which cost $6 for each one — because I had to start with fresh suckers at the next lake."
Lyle Manteuffel, DNR warden for Marathon County, said muskie anglers he interviewed in November seemed aware of the new sucker handling requirements "though some didn't like it."
Nerva said he's seen ice fishermen adjust to the new rules by utilizing two minnow buckets, leaving one in their vehicle on shore and taking the other on the ice. When additional minnows are needed, they return to shore and take them from the second bucket. Because the second bucket never left shore, those leftover minnows can be retained for future use.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/app ... 60666/1233
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
WI - DNR going overboard on VHS rules, lawmakers complain
http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/articl ... 7f534d643e
03/04/08
At least two legislators say the Department of Natural Resources is going overboard with its statewide rules to keep the fish-killing VHS virus from spreading.
Aides to Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, and Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, say they’ll fight efforts to make emergency rules passed last fall permanent.
Fish experts will discuss the matter with lawmakers on Thursday.
The current rules prohibit the transfers of fish and live bait and they make boaters dump out their water every time they leave a lake.
At first, the Natural Resources Board only adopted those rules where VHS was found in the Great Lakes and the Lake Winnebago chain.
Last fall, the board decided to expand them statewide. Because they’ll expire soon, DNR staffers want the Legislature’s rules committee to extend them at least until May.
LeMahieu co-chairs that panel. Before acting on the extension, he wants to see how willing the DNR is to scale back its limits.
His aide says there’s no need to panic anglers statewide because the virus has only been found in a couple places.
A Gunderson aide says the rules might scare anglers away from Wisconsin, thus hurting the state’s multi-million dollar fishing industry.
Christine Thomas, Natural Resources board chair, says the virus poses a big threat, too, and the state must take a comprehensive approach to fighting it.
http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/articl ... 7f534d643e
03/04/08
At least two legislators say the Department of Natural Resources is going overboard with its statewide rules to keep the fish-killing VHS virus from spreading.
Aides to Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, and Rep. Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, say they’ll fight efforts to make emergency rules passed last fall permanent.
Fish experts will discuss the matter with lawmakers on Thursday.
The current rules prohibit the transfers of fish and live bait and they make boaters dump out their water every time they leave a lake.
At first, the Natural Resources Board only adopted those rules where VHS was found in the Great Lakes and the Lake Winnebago chain.
Last fall, the board decided to expand them statewide. Because they’ll expire soon, DNR staffers want the Legislature’s rules committee to extend them at least until May.
LeMahieu co-chairs that panel. Before acting on the extension, he wants to see how willing the DNR is to scale back its limits.
His aide says there’s no need to panic anglers statewide because the virus has only been found in a couple places.
A Gunderson aide says the rules might scare anglers away from Wisconsin, thus hurting the state’s multi-million dollar fishing industry.
Christine Thomas, Natural Resources board chair, says the virus poses a big threat, too, and the state must take a comprehensive approach to fighting it.
-
Hamilton Reef
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:43 am
- Location: Montague, MI on White River
Wisconsin cracking down on 'infected bait'
How often have you walked over to the bushes at the boat ramp after fishing your favorite northwoods lake and dumped the remaining night crawlers? What's the harm? After all, crawlers are essential to renewing topsoil.
Not in the Nicolet Forest of northern Wisconsin.
While night crawlers are native throughout much of lower Canada, their distribution throughout the tier of America's northwoods is limited. Where they have been introduced by anglers, they have consumed the unique layer of decaying vegetation that is essential to the northwoods forest's ability to renew itself, replacing it with their castings. Worm castings are wonderful for your home garden or lawn but are not a good medium for the regeneration of the northwoods forest.
http://www.southtownstar.com/sports/mac ... is.article
How often have you walked over to the bushes at the boat ramp after fishing your favorite northwoods lake and dumped the remaining night crawlers? What's the harm? After all, crawlers are essential to renewing topsoil.
Not in the Nicolet Forest of northern Wisconsin.
While night crawlers are native throughout much of lower Canada, their distribution throughout the tier of America's northwoods is limited. Where they have been introduced by anglers, they have consumed the unique layer of decaying vegetation that is essential to the northwoods forest's ability to renew itself, replacing it with their castings. Worm castings are wonderful for your home garden or lawn but are not a good medium for the regeneration of the northwoods forest.
http://www.southtownstar.com/sports/mac ... is.article