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VHS found outside of Great Lakes drainage


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#1 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 05 June 2008 - 10:12 AM

News article reports VHS.

Fish-killing disease reaches inland lake near Mansfield
Posted by D'Arcy Egan June 05, 2008 08:09AM


A disease that has killed fish around the lower Great Lakes has been discovered in Clearfork Reservoir, an Ohio inland lake near Mansfield.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife collected routine fish samples in April to test for viral hemorrhagic septicemia outside of the Lake Erie drainage. Test results announced Wednesday detected a positive sample from a muskie netted from Clearfork Reservoir.

Wildlife officials are asking anglers and boaters to avoid moving live fish from Clearfork Reservoir to other waters; to drain water from boat live wells, bilges and engines before leaving the reservoir; and to empty bait buckets and coolers.

Wildlife experts said the virus poses no risk to humans. Swimming will not put people at risk, and fish caught from Clearfork Reservoir are safe to eat.

The virus was confirmed by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service laboratory in La Crosse, Wis.

A large fish kill from VHS was documented in western Lake Erie 2006, with mostly sheepshead, or freshwater drum, dying. There was a smaller fish kill in 2007.

There has not been a fish kill in Clearfork Reservoir



#2 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 05 June 2008 - 11:47 AM

One might assume that it's contained in an "inland lake" from this article. This is not the case, however.

This is an impoundment on a tributary of the Ohio River.

Fortunately, the downstream portion out of the effect of the dam is high quality and that will provide some resilience against extreme kills. But make no mistake about it... The cat is out of the bag.

Todd

News article reports VHS.



#3 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 05 June 2008 - 12:25 PM

It's high quality and flows right past my families cottage when it enters Pleasent Hill Lake. I had plans to do a bit of snorkeling and trout fishing in the Clear Fork in July. Interesting that they found it in a musky. Musky were never stocked into Pleasent Hill but Clear Fork is a great musky fishery. However, musky have managed to make it through the spillway, down the river, and into Pleasent Hill over time. This makes me salty.

#4 Guest_NateTessler13_*

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Posted 07 June 2008 - 03:21 PM

Hello everybody,
I was on the phone yesterday with the manager of a fish hatchery in Ohio trying to organize a shipment of fish to my store. He told me that he was unable to provide the fish to me, and when I asked why, he said that their hatchery is currently 'under quarantine'. He told me that Muskellunge collected for brood stock to use at the hatchery contained eggs that tested positive for VHS. The fish were collected from Clearfork Resevoir near Mansfield, OH. The Clearfork Resevoir is located on the Clear Fork of the Mohican River which is in the Ohio River drainage. This would document the first case of VHS outside the Great Lakes drainage. I did a quick google search to see if this has hit the press yet, because when I was speaking to the manager at the hatchery he said there were reporters on site already. Here's a little bit that I found...

"In breaking news on Ohio muskies, the Ohio Division of Wildlife said this week that the first case of VHS, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, outside the Lake Erie drainage area has been found in muskies in Clearfork Reservoir at Mansfield.

VHS, which is deadly to many species of fish, including muskies, has not caused a fish kill at Clearkfork, nor is it expected to, and it poses no threat to humans, the division stressed. It also said that Clearfork fish are safe to eat and contact with the water poses no health risk.

Ray Petering, executive administrator for fish management and research for the division, said that the source of the VHS transmission to Clearfork is unknown at this point."

Source: Toledo Blade article

We'll see what happens from here. As of right now, my fish are not being sent to me, however, my store might still receive the fish eventually because we're already in a VHS positive zone. Meaning, all the fish in my aquarium already came from Lake Erie or its tributaries.

Just thought I'd share,
Nate

#5 Guest_NateTessler13_*

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Posted 07 June 2008 - 05:59 PM

My apologies about reposting this news, I hadn't seen the prior thread.



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