ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)

Testing has confirmed a deadly disease among fish in two more New York lakes following an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Relatively common in continental Europe and Japan, the virus causes internal bleeding in fish but is believed to pose no threat to humans. It now has been confirmed in eastern Lake Erie and Conesus Lake in western New York, where small groups of dead fish washed up on shore, the DEC said.

VHS first was confirmed in New York in May, linked to the death of thousands of fish in eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, including many round gobies and some muskellunge. More recently, it killed walleye in Conesus Lake.

The virus has been confirmed also in burbot, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass, bluntnose minnow and emerald shiner in infected New York waters, though it was not clear whether this virus strain will affect trout and salmon, the agency said.
Other New York waterways will be tested as well, DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren said.

The DEC warned against taking fish from one lake to another, noting it's illegal without a permit, and said bait fish should be used only in the water they came from.

On Oct. 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibited importing from Ontario and Quebec and interstate movement of live fish from eight states bordering the Great Lakes, including New York, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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I feel sick to my stomach…

Conesus is an inland lake with no connection to the Great Lakes. How did VHS get in there? It was only a matter of time but seems to confirm that this is going to spread if we're not careful.

This is when we, as a conservation organization, need to take the steps to educate anglers about taking the time to clean nets and livewells with bleach or chlorine to keep this pathogen confined.