I would say 10-12 fish would not be out of the norm in a day. Especially in a system like St-clair with that poplulation density….
And the 100 fish thing, well It was "Heard"….It seems we hear about this every year or too, I bet if you do a archive search you would find a few mirrored threads just as this one about the same subject..
TF
1. It's very unlikely it's spawning related since the majority of these fish have been seen early in the season. St Clair muskies don't usually spawn until May because of the COLD water coming in from Lake Huron. Fish that died from spawning stress would be seen in late-May and June.
2. What's being seen is a normal winter kill. Remember when we had that warm up in January and February? During an extreme mid winter warm up, fish (particularly shad/drum/panfish) head to the warmest water and the muskies follow. On LSC this would be into the canals and other warm shallow water. You may remember that the February warm up stopped quickly and the water temps dropped ten degrees or more. Fish get caught back in these areas and get stressed from the temp change. If you combine this with limited oxygen due to ice cover, it takes it's toll on fish that are already stressed during the winter. Because the muskies and other fish are in shallow water they don't have the ability to escape the cold water by going deep. Remember back to January of 2004 we had the same type of winter warm up followed by extreme cold. In the spring of 2004 there were many dead muskies floating in LSC.
Why do they show up now? It takes a while for the big fish to float and it takes a while for wind/current to move the dead fish out of the canals and backwater areas once they start floating.
3. There is a new disease in LSC but it was found in ONE (1) fish in 2005. If this disease was responsible for the dead muskies the DNR/OMNR would have found more than one fish with the disease.
Bottom line… there's no need to panic but as always it's a good idea to report these findings to the local DNR/OMNR. Townes (basin supervisor) and Thomas (biologist @ Mt Clemens) are aware of this and are monitoring the situation but are not concerned at this point that this is anything more than winterkill.
Whoa, hey, how's that for a WELCOME Dale??? Good to hear from you again anyway!
This year and 2004 had the same thing down there. Not last year, and nothing to the extent of 2006 and 2004 before that. Not cause for panic but definitely CONCERN and hope to be able pinpoint exactly what is the cause of death on those fish.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2006
Contacts:
Gary Towns 734-953-0241
Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014
Muskellunge Die-Off in Southeast Michigan Being Monitored
A significant number of muskellunge, the second largest game fish in Michigan, have been observed dead over the last month in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, according to Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists. The die-off is being monitored by the DNR and volunteer groups in the area.
"Any time a significant number of fish die, we are concerned for the resource and monitor the situation closely to determine the factors behind it," said Gary Towns, DNR Lake Erie Management Unit supervisor. "We feel the current situation has likely been caused by a combination of factors which have impacted the muskies in the area."
Towns said the DNR has essentially ruled out pollution as a factor. He said species such as walleyes, emerald shiners and other minnows, which are more sensitive to pollution, do not seem to have been affected. Anglers are currently catching lots of walleye, bass and other species which appear to be very healthy, Towns added.
DNR fisheries officials feel the die-off of muskellunge could have been caused by several factors including a combination of spawning stress, a warmer winter which may have set the stage for a higher incidence of disease, and recent rapid warming of water over the past several weeks. It is unknown if the bacterial disease first detected in Lake St. Clair muskellunge in 2002, known as musky pox (Piscirickettsia sp.), is involved. Fish with visible signs of musky pox have red rashes and sunken eyes.
Towns said the muskies that are being found in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River appear to have died about a month ago and were likely on the bottom of the lake and river system. As they have been decomposing, they have floated to the surface of the water, he said. Due to the decomposition, DNR pathologists cannot test the fish for musky pox or other diseases. Only live fish or fish that have been dead for less than a few hours can be tested for bacterial or viral diseases, Towns said.
The rapid warming of the water in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair area could be a major factor, Towns said. Normally in late April, the water temperatures are in the mid-40s. Towns said that presently the water temperatures are in the low to mid-50s, and some anglers have reported water temperatures in isolated bays in the 60 degree range. Rapid water temperature changes can put a lot of stress on fish, he said.
In terms of musky pox, Towns said while many muskies may be infected with it, the disease is usually only fatal to a few fish. Musky pox could cause the death of some fish when the fish are under stress, for example during the spring when water temperatures can warm rapidly.
The DNR has contacted Canadian fisheries officials to monitor their side of Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River as well, and they have reported some dead muskellunge, too. While a musky die-off was observed in the spring of 2003, very few dead muskies were reported in 2004 and 2005.
"We want area anglers to know that we are aware of the problem and we appreciate their reports of dead muskies in the waters of the St. Clair River, the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair," Towns said. "We are actively monitoring the situation to determine the extent of the die-off, however; we feel at this time it is a combination of weather, spawning stress and perhaps some disease factors which have affected the fish."
The DNR is committed to conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations.
DNR looks for cause of fish kill
Anglers have found hundreds of dead muskellunge in the Detroit River in the past week and dead bass, bluegills, pike and other species in canals and bays. The reasons are unclear, but the deaths might have come from stress triggered by unusually high water temperatures this winter and spring.
"We're looking into it," said Gary Towns, a state Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist. "I was out walleye fishing on Friday and saw about 30 dead muskies myself.
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hello gents. im on the canadian side. theres still muskies dying as i type. reports are seeing fish still rolling over dying. if its the so called vhs i certainly hope its being monitered. hopefully with the erie walleye stocks the mnr, dnr will do their utmost. there was a large die off in the bay of quinte that killed thousands of sheepshead and gobies.. the end results are death from international shipping companies dumping ballasts. whats next in our future
Dead muskies turning up in Detroit River
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Sunday, April 30, 2006 By Bob Gwizdz
Detroit River anglers have reported hundreds, perhaps thousands, of muskellunge floating in the river, and state fisheries officials are unsure about the reason.
The fish appear to be adult muskies — at least 30 inches in length — and are being reported along the entire length of the river.
Gary Towns, the Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist for southeast Michigan, said he was on the river recently fishing for walleye and saw nine dead muskies. He sent the DNR research vessel to cruise the river and the crew counted 41 dead muskies one day.
The fish, discolored and often covered with fungus or silt, are thought to be long dead, Towns said. He theorizes that the fish died in late winter or early spring, sank, and then as the water temperature rose, they began to decompose, became bloated, and floated to the surface.
A bacterial disease known as musky pox (Piscirickettsia) was discovered in the fish in 2002 and there was a significantly smaller die-off of muskies in 2003. But the mortality did not occur in 2004 nor 2005, Towns said.
Although musky pox appeared to infect a significant portion of the population, only a small number of the fish succumbed to the disease. Towns said that if the current die-off is related to the same disease, he is optimistic it will not significantly impact the area's musky population, which is quite strong. Current ecological conditions on Lake St. Clair — clear water and substantial aquatic vegetation — favor muskies, Towns said.
Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River boast some of the best muskie fishing in North America.
"We have contacted Canadian fisheries biologists and have asked that they monitor their side of Lake St. Clair," Towns said. "Early reports are that they have found some dead muskies along the southern shore of Lake St. Clair."
Towns said that while spring die-offs of fish are not unusual, often because of stress, he had no information that muskies were especially susceptible, though a Canadian biologist told him he had seen the phenomenon before.
Because muskies are among the first species to spawn in the spring, it would make sense that they succumbed to post-spawn stress, especially as the water temperature rose unusually quickly this spring, Towns said.
Towns said he has also received reports of dead bass on both Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, but cannot conclude that the die-offs are related.
Because of the physical deterioration of the dead muskies, Towns said it would be unlikely that necropsies would help determine the cause of the mortality.
There is no indication that the fish are currently dying, Towns said.
He also said there is no truth to rumors circulating on the Internet that the fish were dying because of a hatchery mishap several years ago when an anti-viral agent was accidentally introduced into the hatchery system and is causing the mortality.
The DNR will continue to monitor the situation, Towns said.
Note snippet:
Preliminary reports indicate the fish died of a viral infection, but more testing is needed to determine the strain.
"My worst fear, I suppose, is that the virus was transported by ballast discharge" from foreign ships, Tyson said. If so, fish native to the Great Lakes would not have a natural resistance to the disease. 🙁
Large fish kill hits western Lake Erie
Friday, May 05, 2006 Molly Kavanaugh Plain Dealer Reporter
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An exceptionally large number of dead fish are littering Lake Erie beaches, disturbing lakefront residents and raising concern among state wildlife officials.
"It's much more extensive than we've seen," said Jeff Tyson, fisheries biologist supervisor with the state's Sandusky Fish Research Unit.
The dead fish are primarily freshwater drum, or sheephead, which is not a popular sport fish. The concentrated kills have been found in the western basin of Lake Erie, in Sandusky Bay and as far east as Vermilion.
Last week, Tyson sent samples to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in La Crosse, Wis. Preliminary reports indicate the fish died of a viral infection, but more testing is needed to determine the strain.
"My worst fear, I suppose, is that the virus was transported by ballast discharge" from foreign ships, Tyson said. If so, fish native to the Great Lakes would not have a natural resistance to the disease.
Scott Doty, manager of the Lake Erie Islands State Parks, said he has gotten several calls from lakefront property owners curious about all the dead fish. His staff has had to clean the beach at Catawba Island State Park.
At Cranberry Creek Marina, between Huron and Vermilion, the beach and surrounding shallow waters are not a pretty sight.
Is the smell bad? "It's going to be. I was out in a boat last night, and you can see freshwater drum with their tails up and heads down," said Chris Woods, vice president of sales at the marina.
Large numbers of dead fish also have been reported in Michigan's waters, including muskellunge in the Detroit River.
The last big fish kill in Ohio was about five years ago, when large numbers of carp washed ashore. Samples of those fish were sent for analysis, but the tests were inconclusive because the samples were too decomposed, Tyson said.
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