ovid

Bryan Saenz · Post by **Bryan Saenz** » Sun May 27, 2007 4:58 pm

hi guys

i fished ovid the other night and we boated a lower 40" class fish that had vhs signs on its body, you could definetly tell it was vhs
should actions be taken to try to transplant fish if they are not infected so there wont be a total loss in a year or two?

not sure what all can be done..

LeMay · Post by **LeMay** » Tue May 29, 2007 7:36 am

Bryan did you get a photo of the fish? I like to see what this vhs looks like on a muskie.

Thanks

Post by **Cyberlunge** » Tue May 29, 2007 10:23 am

Bryan-
Sadly there is little to be done. It is a virus, and jusst like when you have a cold and they say "Its a virus , it just has to run its course" same thing here. All we can hope for at this point is that the fish come out the other side stronger for the experience. The best thing you can do on an individual basis is to keep up the education effort. People need to understand that some fish are weakened but will survive if left alone. We must limit the stress as much as possible asap. Hopefully (cross fingers) we dont have a real hot summer followed by a quick fall.
Kevin

Bryan Saenz · Post by **Bryan Saenz** » Tue May 29, 2007 4:42 pm

no pic, sorry, boated one later on in the wknd and it had minor signs, all other fish were very healthy and strong.

Post by **Will Schultz** » Wed May 30, 2007 8:54 am

Bryan Saenz wrote:i fished ovid the other night and we boated a lower 40" class fish that had vhs signs on its body, you could definetly tell it was vhs

How could you tell it was VHSv? What exactly did the signs on the fish look like?

Bryan Saenz wrote:should actions be taken to try to transplant fish if they are not infected so there wont be a total loss in a year or two?

not sure what all can be done..

Transplanting fish from any water is never a good idea. When the DNR does this (rarely) there are steps taken to reduce the risk of moving fish diseases. Transplanting any fish from VHSv infected water would not be a good idea since it just moves the disease to another water. That is exactly why you (we) should not move bait, fish or water from lake to lake (river).

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed May 30, 2007 3:57 pm

I'm sure Bryan will chime in later, but from what I was told the fish (and another caught later) had a few open sores, a blood-filled eye and bright red fins that appeared to also be filled with blood. Bryan said after checking out the sample pictures on the DNR website he was pretty convinced it was VHS. Definately possible. These are the same symptoms we were seeing on pike and a few muskies around 2004-2005 in Sanford...and although a lot of bugs can cause some hemmorahaging, these days VHS is a good guess.

Sure hope Greg M isn't right, and musky density doesn't play a role in the percentage of fish lost or Ovid could be in for a major thinning...

Bryan Saenz · Post by **Bryan Saenz** » Wed May 30, 2007 4:19 pm

Pete, you must have wrote that as I got off the phone with you!!..haha
Yea, and what Pete wrote is what i had seen on the fish. I wish it wasn't so, but it appeared to have the signs.

What I mean about transplanting fish was, taking UN-infected fish to other bodies of water.... I know its prolly too much DNR money/time/effort to trap and collect and test what fish are positive and ones that are not... These fish hold a very high value to us all and would hate to see any chances of saving some taken too late, thats all i meant.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed May 30, 2007 4:30 pm

Yeah, I was typing as you were talking so as not to miss anything. Important stuff. Also, I didn't want your backwoods Breckenridge writing skills to cloud or misconstrue the point...

Bryan Saenz · Post by **Bryan Saenz** » Wed May 30, 2007 5:45 pm

i'm sorry ....does Alma have an actual accredited college? I just thought they had a wal-mart over there?
Should have went to real universities like me

ohhh slam.... sorry Pete

Post by **Will Schultz** » Thu May 31, 2007 10:03 am

Bryan Saenz wrote:Yea, and what Pete wrote is what i had seen on the fish. I wish it wasn't so, but it appeared to have the signs.

Without seeing what you saw it would be tough, for anyone, to call it VHSv with any certainty. Red, blood filled fins aren't unusual from the stress of being caught/handled. Open sores are a normal part of the spawning/healing process. Eyes on fish are damaged all the time during hooking and handling. From the photos I've seen fish showing signs have hemorraging all over their body just under the skin. Lesions and a damaged eyes can happen in so many ways.

It would be great to have pics that we could forward to the DNR when anyone sees what they think might be a VHSv infected fish. As noted so many times in other VHSv threads, it is highly probable that "we" have spread this disease all over Michigan and the midwest already.

Bryan Saenz wrote: What I mean about transplanting fish was, taking UN-infected fish to other bodies of water.... I know its prolly too much DNR money/time/effort to trap and collect and test what fish are positive and ones that are not... These fish hold a very high value to us all and would hate to see any chances of saving some taken too late, thats all i meant.

A couple reasons transplanting wouldn't be good:
- infected fish that don't die will build an immunity to this strain of the virus
- moving a fish, positive or not, from a VHSv infected water would not be good management

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 31, 2007 12:12 pm

Didn`t clear fork and pymuntuning(ohio)go thru this years ago??I pretty sure......clear fork problem was a little from..TO HIGH A DENSITY... :?: :?:

DU

LeMay · Post by **LeMay** » Thu May 31, 2007 1:18 pm

I think Webster has more fish per acre then ovid does they plant 5 fish per acre a year.

Post by **Will Schultz** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:32 am

Piscirickettsia
Skin lesions (open sores) are not something common with VHSv. Those are common with Piscirickettsia (muskie pox) and look somewhat like a lamprey scar. Here is an example of Piscirickettsia:

VHSv
Again, open lesions are NOT common with VHSv. Here is a photo of what VHSv hemorrhaging looks like on a shad. This is what the bleeding also looks like under the skin of muskellunge. Since muskellunge fins are usually red identifying these streaks in the fins of muskellunge will be difficult.

Clinical/Visual signs of VHSv
VHSv may cause tissue hemorrhaging(see photo above), bulging eyes and bloating. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to diagnose VHSv by looking at a fish because there are other diseases and causes for the visual signs noted above. The only way to confirm VHSv is to test the fish. It is important to note that not all fish infected show signs of VHSv and may become carriers of the disease. The only way to confirm VHS is to test the fish in a lab.

Michigan DNR asks that you report fish that appear to be infected:
Citizens are encouraged to report sick fish or fish kills to their local DNR office or use the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Anglers should contact the DNR if they observe fish that exhibit any of the following signs: hemorrhaging in the skin, including large red patches particularly on the sides and anterior portion of the head; multiple hemorrhages on the liver, spleen, or intestines; or hemorrhages on the swim bladder that give the otherwise transparent organ a mottled appearance. This information will help DNR fisheries staff to track VHS and take appropriate management actions to help slow the spread of this virus.