Thread: Fish kill

Posted May 13, 2007

Fish found in Little Lake Butte des Morts with deadly VHS virus


DNR closes lock on river to prevent further spread
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

MENASHA — Two fish from Little Lake Butte des Morts have preliminarily tested positive for a deadly fish virus called viral hermorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Saturday.

Dead fish samples taken from Lake Winnebago also appear to have the virus. Little Lake Butte des Morts is part of the lower Fox River that flows from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay. The Lake Winnebago system is home to the state's sturgeon population.

Though VHS is not a health threat to people who eat or handle infected fish, it can infect more than 25 game fish, panfish and bait fish species.

Fish managers met Saturday to implement immediate steps to deal with the infection and limit its spread.

The DNR asked the Fox Locks Authority to immediately close the Menasha lock and to keep it closed until more information about the spread of the disease could be confirmed. Boaters can expect to be turned back from the lock starting today.

The DNR also starting posting all boat launches with instructions on what boaters should do to avoid spreading the disease.

"This is a major fish health crisis," DNR fisheries director Mike Staggs said in a press release. "We have to take aggressive steps now and enlist the help of the public to stop this spread."

Staggs offered this advice to anglers: "Do not take live fish (including unused bait minnows) away from the landing or shore. Drain all water from bilges, bait buckets, live wells and other containers when leaving the landing or shore."

State fish managers had suspected VHS to be present in Lake Michigan and possibly in Lake Superior and in the Mississippi River. This would be the first infection to be confirmed in Wisconsin inland waters, the DNR said.