VHS how bad is it?

mjstef2 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:15 pm

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia or VHS has been a big topic of discussion here in Minnesota, so I was wondering how big of a fish kill you have seen on Qunite. They say it will be in lake Superior soon. So any input from out east would be great.

dllm413 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:20 pm

Not sure of quantity in Bay of Quinte, big numbers of bass and muskes in Lake Ontario and St Lawrence River

legacy · **Joined:** Tue May 10, 2005 7:55 am **Posts:** 992

I think it was 2 years ago, opening weekend of walleye, there were dead and dying sheeps head all over the Bay.

It didn't look like a pleasant way for them to die. Most that were still alive, were trying to swim down but couldn't and were bleeding from the gills.

Quite the hazard when running down the bay.

DanElliot · **Joined:** Mon Apr 08, 2002 8:59 am **Posts:** 4329

Legacy is right about the sheepshead. They were everywhere. I also remember the fall previous to the sheephead dieoff that we caught alot of sheephead and since the die-off much less. Interesting to note that VHS is suspected of being around the great lakes for sometime without causing die-offs. In the follow up to the Quinte VHS discovery in 2005 some biologists went back to samples of fish they had taken from lake St Clair in 2003 and discovered they were carrying VHS. So in other words VHS has been with us a while, it just happen to be Quinte that it was confirmed.

Don Stokes · **Posted:** Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:29 pm

Listening to anglers reports, I am suspect of any time after 2003, as a conservative estimate. In addition to sheepshead, I seem to recall panfish in the western basin of BOQ and Hay Bay.

It is shameful in how MNR conducted itself as a public supported service, in that this was not brought forth to the tax paying public in a more open manner, than the way it has transpired. The information was given many moons ago, and it was initially minimized..... till a few short months ago. 2005 for confirmation was just an information "trickle", passed on to a select few.....and no media release that I had seen (I see a lot).

There is a press release out that I cannot post (OFAH summary) from where I am working in Alberta this weekend, whereby it speaks a bit about VHS and how it may affect hatcherys. This is in my opinion a serious event that offers a number of downsides, and a minisule amount of long term opportunities for "proactive regulations" to reduce the risk be it through bait or the transfer of other species.

The upside in the equation is that it may force some creative regulation changes that could have a positive impact on some species in the long term. Whether MNR has the management and business wherewithall to seize the moment remains questionable.

Regards
Donald Stokes

mjstef2 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 01, 2007 6:53 pm

Thanks for the input, I know that the Minnesota DNR is trying for legistion to stop the transport of fish across state borders. Which causes a problem for us guy's that fish the Mississippi pool 4. It will also effect alot of the tourneys up here on pool 4. Just my .02 cents.

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VHS how bad is it?

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