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
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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.