VHS news links

Read about the progression of VHS by reading from the bottom news link to the top.

Next to bottom is a story about the first story account of the virus in June of 2006: Virus that can kill fish is found in lake for the first time— A deadly virus that can infect nearly every species of fish in Lake Ontario has been found in the lake for the first time. The virus, known as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, has been detected in both round gobies, an invasive species, and muskellunge, a native fish, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.  (June 20, 2006) Democrat & Chronicle

* ** NYSDEC: Emergency Regulations in response to VHS Summary of Fish Health Emergency Regulations Effective March 9, 2007. Expires on: June 7, 2007. On March 9, 2007, new fish health emergency regulations were put in effect to prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) and other fish diseases into the inland waters of New York. A summary of the revised emergency regulations that the Department has adopted is as follows:--New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its Natural Resources

*** Resources for VHS

• Aquaculture Home Page

• USDA - APHIS - APHIS Newsroom

*** If you have been reading the news on RochesterEnvironment.com and looked at the stories on Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) for the last several months, then you’ll agree that it’s time to get alarmed at the new invasive species disease moving into the Great Lakes. Already, we have seen outbreaks of the disease and more will probably come. To get the official word on this disease from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Check out: Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia in the Great Lakes July 2006 Emerging Disease Notice

• democratandchronicle.com | Rochester Local News | Democrat and Chronicle A fish kill discovered on the shores of Irondequoit Bay could have been caused by a viral disease first noticed in New York two years ago, an official from the state Department of Environmental Conservation said Monday. Officials estimate hundreds of dead gizzard shad were spotted earlier this month, said Webster Pearsall, the DEC's regional fishery manager. (April 22, 08) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York
• Great Lakes shippers take steps to halt deadly fish virus spread - Michigan, Great Lakes Environmental & Conservation Issues - MLive.com DETROIT (AP) -- Great Lakes shippers say they're taking steps to keep a deadly fish virus from spreading into Lake Superior through ballast water. (April 08, 08) Michigan News, Sports, Business, Entertainment - MLive.com - Everything Michigan
• First Nation, U.S. National Park Service to battle Great Lakes virus that’s deadly to fish - Preventing a deadly fish virus from reaching Lake Superior and damaging fisheries and parkland areas is the goal of a joint effort between the U.S. National Park Service and a First Nation just south of the border. Grand Portage band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, located just south of the Pigeon River border on a 15-minute drive along the lakeshore, hopes to finish the plan to keep viral hemorrhagic septicemia from entering the lake and killing off fish that are vital to its people and the parks, said Seth Moore, a fish and wildlife biologist with the First Nation. (Feb 09, 08) Chronicle Journal
• Green Bay Press-Gazette - VHS impacts use of bait Ice anglers must get rid of minnows before leaving water body  MADISON — Wisconsin ice anglers are feeling the squeeze from new rules designed to combat viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, and the impact is no drop in the bucket. In an effort to stem spread of the disease, the Natural Resources Board initiated an emergency rule on Nov. 2 prohibiting the transfer of water or fish — including minnows — from one body of water to another. (Dec 16, 07) Green Bay Press-Gazette
• Environmental group sues to protect Lake Superior from fish virus The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy wants the state to prohibit freighters from dumping untreated ballast water. A state environmental group sued the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Monday for allegedly not taking action to protect Lake Superior and other state waters from a deadly fish virus. (August 27, 07) http://www.startribune.com/
• Green Bay Press-Gazette - Area anglers resist permanent controls for fish virus Sunset clause requested for proposal to fight VHS  - A proposal to make permanent measures designed to control and prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS virus, drew concerns at a public hearing Monday night in Green Bay. The proposed rule, identical to the current emergency rule, affects anglers, boaters, bait dealers, fish dealers and commercial fishermen. (August 21, 2007) Green Bay Press-Gazette
• Fond du Lac Reporter - Fish virus VHS difficult to track over summer months For now, people need to change the way they think about boating and fishing in order to stop the spread of the virus. (August 10, 07) Fond du Lac Reporter
• Fish virus spreads - Rochester, NY - MPNnow A deadly fish virus spreading through upstate New York has been detected in three new locations and, for the first time, has been found in rainbow trout, one of the state’s top game fish, state scientists said Monday. Viral hemorrhagic septicemia was found in fish taken from the Little Salmon River in Oswego County and the Seneca-Cayuga Canal, as well as an isolated farm pond in Niagara County, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said. (July 24, 07) Homepage - Rochester, NY - MPNnow
• Fatal fish disease spreads to Finger Lakes region -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY Virus, first found in Great Lakes two years ago, is affecting more species of fish despite control efforts  ALBANY -- A fatal fish disease first discovered in the Great Lakes two years ago has spread into three areas in the western part of the state, and for the first time, into rainbow trout, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Wildlife officials don't know how the fish became infected with viral hemorrhagic septicemia in the Little Salmon River in Oswego County and the Seneca-Cayuga Canal in the Finger Lakes, despite rules adopted last year to stem the illness by barring people from moving fish from one water body to another. VHS is a disease that causes the hemorrhaging of fish tissues, including internal organs. Uniformly fatal, the disease is common in Europe and Japan. Biologists believe that the virus arrived in the ballast of ships that ply the Great Lakes. (July 24, 07) Albany NY News - Times Union - Serving Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Troy
• Green Bay Press-Gazette - DNR's VHS dilemma: Lakes or landfills? MADISON — The specter of viral hemorrhagic septicemia is likely to claim thousands of trout and salmon from Wisconsin's state-owned hatcheries in coming weeks without the disease infecting a single fish. "We're going to end up with a surplus of fish that we don't have use for," explained Mike Staggs, fisheries director for the Department of Natural Resources. (July 15, 07) Green Bay Press Gazette
• Lake users react to fish virus - Still, state officials are taking a serious look at VHS, which up until now had only been identified in one other New York state location outside of the Great Lakes. The virus had previously been confirmed in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Conesus Lake. (July 5, 07) The Citizen, Auburn NY
• Fish Health Regulations in Response to VHS - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Effective June 6, 2007. On June 6, 2007, fish health regulations were finalized to prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) and other fish diseases into the inland waters of New York. A summary of the revised emergency regulations that the Department has adopted is as follows: NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Fish virus found in Skaneateles Lake - The state Department of Environmental Conservation has discovered Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia in Skaneateles Lake, the DEC announced Tuesday. Though the fish pathogen does not pose a threat to the public's health, it has resulted in thousands of rock bass and smallmouth bass washing up on shore. Skaneateles Lake is the second place that VHS-infected fish have been found in New York outside of the Great Lakes, according to a DEC press release. The virus has been confirmed in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Conesus Lake. (June 19, 07) The Citizen, Auburn NY
• Dave Henderson: Fish disease regulations for New York finalized - The restrictions on bait fish, designed to prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia in New York waters, have been in effect since last winter. After considerable public comment, the regulations were altered and reconfigured several times, but the last word — in the form of a final draft — was adopted last Wednesday. (June 14, 07) http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
• Revised Emergency Regulations Adopted to Prevent Spread of VHS - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced the adoption of new emergency regulations to prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) to additional waters in the state. The new emergency regulations, which took effect on March 9, 2007 replace previously enacted emergency regulations and reflect changes incorporated as a result of public comments. The changes affect limits to possession, sale, transfer, taking and release of certain baitfish and other live fish in New York waters. VHS is a fish pathogen and poses no threat to public health. NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Fish Virus Threatens Local Waters - Experts say the fishing could get a lot slower on New York waterways if they can't stop the spread of a deadly fish virus. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation traced fish deaths on Cranberry Pond this spring to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, or VHS. The disease was also confirmed in dead fish found on Conesus Lake last fall. (June 6, 07) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• Deadly Fish Virus Spreading Rapidly - SYRACUSE (AP) — A deadly, fast-spreading aquatic virus is reaching epidemic proportions in New York’s two Great Lakes and has already spread into the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York, a Cornell University fisheries expert said Tuesday. The viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus — or VHS — has now been identified in 19 species in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, including muskellunge, New York’s No. 2 sport fish, said Paul Bowser, a professor of aquatic animal medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. (5/23/07) The Post-Journal, Jamestown New York
• Virus killing lake fish -- and tourism? Die-offs may hurt fishing industries - — Dead fish, killed by a virus, are becoming more prevalent in the Rochester area this spring. Weakened by the stresses of winter and spawning, fish are particularly vulnerable this time of year to a deadly virus known as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, which has rapidly circled the globe and last year made its way into New York state waters. (May 22, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Anglers must join virus fight - Syracuse.com - Fishermen will be asked to produce a receipt to prove their bait fish are disease-free. A pernicious viral disease capable of wiping out large numbers of fish in Central New York is looming up in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, and the state Department of Conservation has joined federal officials and others in taking measures to stop its spread. The culprit is viral hemorrhagic septicema - VHS for short. The disease causes fish to hemorrhage and destroys the organs that make blood cells. The state has targeted the sale and transportation of bait minnows as one way to stop the migration of VHS, but even that may prove fruitless, officials say. (May 6, 07) Latest News and More from Syracuse.com
• Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes - A deadly Ebola-like virus is killing fish of all types in the Great Lakes, a development some scientists fear could trigger disaster for the USA's freshwater fish. Because of a lack of genetic resistance to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish populations could be damaged in the same way the smallpox virus struck Native Americans and Dutch elm disease decimated elm trees, says Jim Winton, chief of fish health at the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle. (April 29, 07) http://www.usatoday.com/
• Great Lakes fish virus may threaten U.S. aquaculture - Yahoo! News CHICAGO (Reuters) - A virus in the U.S. Great Lakes that has killed tens of thousands of fish in recent years is spreading and poses a threat to inland fish farming, a U.S. Agriculture Department official said on Monday. (April 26, 07) The top news headlines on current events from Yahoo! News
• Great Lakes fish virus may threaten U.S. aquaculture - Yahoo! News CHICAGO (Reuters) - A virus in the U.S. Great Lakes that has killed tens of thousands of fish in recent years is spreading and poses a threat to inland fish farming, a U.S. Agriculture Department official said on Monday. The pathogen, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, causes internal bleeding in fish. It does not harm humans, even if they eat infected fish. (April 23, 2007) The top news headlines on current events from Yahoo! News
• OUTDOORS: DNR response to virus: Moratorium The Department of Natural Resources announced on Wednesday a one-year moratorium on stocking of millions of walleyes, northern pike and muskellunge in an effort to keep viral hemorrhagic septicemia out of the state's fish hatcheries and limit the spread of the lethal fish disease. The disease, which almost certainly came into the Great Lakes in the ballast water of a saltwater ship, has caused major fish kills from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron over the past two years. (April 5, 07) Detroit Free Press
• TheStar.com - News - Pathogen stalks fish Scientists urge action; shipping industry fears cost of controlling virus could be catastrophic - Sometime this spring, Great Lakes fish could start dying by the tens of thousands. It happened a few times last year: This year might be worse. The killer will be viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, a virus that's a mystery except for one thing – it spreads fast and kills many types of fish. (April 3, 07) TheStar.com
• Deadly fish virus spreading west A deadly fish virus that already is wreaking havoc in the eastern Great Lakes is spreading west and could one day reach Lake Superior, where it could have potentially devastating effects on Minnesota's fisheries. (March 27, 07) http://www.startribune.com/
• DEC Adopts revised emergency regulations to help prevent spread of VHS -The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the adoption of new emergency regulations to help prevent the spread of the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) virus to additional waters in the State. The new emergency regulations, which were filed with the Department of State and took effect on Friday, March 9, 2007, replace previously enacted emergency regulations and reflect some changes incorporated as a result of public comments on the limits of the possession, sale, transfer, taking and release of certain baitfish and other live fish species to be placed in New York waters. VHS is a pathogen of fish and does not pose any threat to public health. (March 20, 07) New York State News on the Net!
• ONTARIO FISHING IMPERILED BY NEW VIRUS - The fishing industry in Upstate New York is in serious jeopardy because of a newly discovered virus that has made its way into the water systems. The size and scope of the Lake Ontario fishing industry is largely undetermined, but it is thought to be a multi-million dollar industry. “We can put a $170,000 figure on one processing plant, but the bait fish industry in New York State is huge,” said Dave MacNeill, fishery expert for New York State Sea Grant. (March 06, 07) The Palladium Times Online
• New regulations shouldn't affect anglers 01/12/07 If you are involved in tournament fishing on Michigan's Great Lakes or inland waters, there are probably some rule changes affecting this sport in the immediate future. The reason for new regulations is an attempt to stop or at least slow the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). As the rules originally came down from the US Dept. of Agriculture, it would have been illegal (for anyone, not just tourney anglers) to transport any of 29 species of live fish across state lines of those states bordering the Great Lakes plus Ontario and Quebec. That would have put a damper on tourneys that originate in Michigan waters whose contestants travel by boat to Canada or Ohio to catch their fish. The Ile Camera - Heritage Newspapers
• PoughkeepsieJournal.com - State to host meeting on fish virus NEW PALTZ - The Department of Environmental Conservation will host a meeting Thursday to present information and answer questions about the wild fish disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia. The virus is a pathogen of fish and does not pose any threat to public health. Relatively common in continental Europe and Japan, prior to 2003 the disease was limited in North America to marine species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In freshwater, VHS had been associated primarily with trout and salmon. Formal public comments on the draft regulation will not be accepted during the informational meetings. The draft rulemaking is available at http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/propregs . Public comments can be submitted to DEC by writing to: Shaun Keeler, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4750; or by calling DEC at (518) 402-8920.
• Buffalo News - Some decry state's effort to save fish Dozens of local bait dealers and sport fisherman challenged the state Monday on its methods for containing a deadly virus that is killing off a wide variety of fish in the state's inland waters, including the Niagara River, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. While not at all dangerous to humans, viral hemorrhagic septicemia is a serious pathogenic virus affecting fresh and saltwater fish of varying species, sizes and age ranges, said Paul E. McKeown of the state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 9 Fisheries Unit. (Jan 10, 2008) The Buffalo News
• Officials to discuss VHS virus - With all the phenomenal fishing in nearby Great Lakes waters, the biggest fishing story for 2007 begins with a public informational session on Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) to start the new year. The Department of Environmental Conservation has arranged a series of informational meetings statewide, with Western New York sessions to be held for Region 8 in the Holiday Inn at Waterloo on Wednesday and Region 9 at Woodlawn Beach State Park in Hamburg on Jan. 8. Both meetings are set for 7-9 p.m. The Buffalo News
• London Free Press - City & Region - New bait fish rules gut area industry Ontario's $20-million live bait industry has been left reeling by provincial restrictions on harvesting and transporting bait fish in a bid to stop the spread of a deadly new fish virus. "It's terrible. It is just devastating to the tourism industry, outfitters and people involved in commercial bait harvesting. This is huge," said Dennis Shaw, owner of the Bass Haven outfitting business at Mitchell's Bay. (Jan 14, 07) London Free Press
• Cornell scientists find quick test to detect deadly fish virus ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) -- A new test will help scientists quickly detect a fast-spreading aquatic virus that threatens the Great Lakes fishing industry, according to its developers at Cornell University. Current tests for the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus involve culturing cells and can take up to a month. The new technique, which measures viral genetic material, takes only 24 hours to identify the virus, said Paul Bowser, a Cornell professor of aquatic animal medicine. (Feb 15, 07) The Ithaca Journal - www.theithacajournal.com - Ithaca, NY
• 'Fish Ebola virus' threatens lakes A resurgent Lake Michigan salmon fishery that survived a devastating bacterial disease in the 1980s and '90s might soon face its greatest threat: an imported disease that biologists call "Ebola virus for fish." Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, is sweeping across the Great Lakes, leaving thousands of dead fish in its wake. Like the Ebola virus in humans that has killed thousands in Africa, VHS makes fish bleed to death from their eyes and other orifices. VHS does not affect humans. (Feb 11, 07) MLive.com: Everything Michigan
• Fish disease poses no known threat to human health - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation reported that a fish virus, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN), was found recently in samples of trout from the hatchery on the Connetquot River State Park Preserve on Long Island. There is no known health threat to humans who handle or consume fish that contain the IPN virus, but IPN is considered a serious fish disease capable of causing extensive mortality in young trout. (Feb 10, 2007) New York State News on the Net!
• Big Prices for Small Fish New regulations force minnow costs to rise  - Fishermen in New York and the rest of the Great Lakes region might want to budget a few extra dollars for bait in 2007. Minnow prices - now as low as $1 a dozen in some Central New York bait shops - are likely to increase as a result of emergency regulations issued by state and federal strictures to slow the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, a disease implicated in recent die-offs of fish in the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario and Conesus Lake. Just how much the cost of bait will go up, and when, isn't yet known. (December 15, 2006) Latest News and More From Syracuse.com
• New York warned of disease carried by fish - News - MSNBC.com The Department of Environmental Conservation is issuing new rules to prevent the spread of a deadly fish disease. Officials have issued a regulation against taking bait from many New York waterways, including Lake Ontario and Conesus Lake.(November 29, 2006)  MSNBC - WHEC-TV
• Anglers Advised Not to Move Fish Between Water Bodies The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising anglers of the negative effects of moving fish from one body of water to another. Whether purposely or accidentally done, stocking of fish is illegal without a DEC permit. Introduced fish species can negatively affect the fishery and aquatic ecosystem of the waters they are released into by preying on fish already present, out-competing native species for food, spreading diseases and changing the amount, size, and type of microscopic organisms in the water. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its Natural Resources
• DEC: Don't transfer fish from lake to lake— State biologists reminded fishermen this week that moving fish and other organisms from one water to another can have serious consequences. Historically, the Adirondacks offered fishermen tens of thousands of acres of lakes and ponds containing native brook trout. Today, just a fraction of these populations remain, driven out by nonnative species like bass and perch. (July 30, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• globeandmail.com : What is killing the fish of the Great Lakes? Researchers at the University of Guelph are processing infected fish tissues and developing diagnostic tests to look at a deadly virus suspected in the deaths of thousands of fish in the Great Lakes basin. It's believed the virus could be spreading from one species to another, even infecting fish farms and hatcheries. (July 28, 2006) globeandmail.com
• Deadly fish virus spreads in Northeast - LiveScience - MSNBC.com A deadly virus found in two fish species in the northeastern United States last month appears to have spread to two more species, scientists said today. (July 21, 2006) Today's News from MSNBC - MSNBC.com
• State Investigates Dead Fish - The state is trying to figure out what is killing thousands of fish washing up on Lake Ontario’s eastern shore. (July 19, 2006) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• Thousands of fish wash up on shore of Lake Ontario - Newsday.com LYME, N.Y. -- With thousands of fish washing up on Lake Ontario's eastern shore, state officials are investigating whether the cause is the virus detected this spring in some species, a botulism outbreak or some other factor. "We're conducting tests to see what the larger die-off occurring in that waterway could be the result of," Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman Maureen Wren said Thursday. "We sent samples of the species that have been affected to Cornell." July 13, 2006 Newsday.com: News, Entertainment and Sports
• Virus that can kill fish is found in lake for the first time— A deadly virus that can infect nearly every species of fish in Lake Ontario has been found in the lake for the first time.The virus, known as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, has been detected in both round gobies, an invasive species, and muskellunge, a native fish, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.  (June 20, 2006) Democrat & Chronicle
• Troubled waters for lake fish - Invaders thrive as trout stock plummets - — HENRIETTA — The complex web of interrelationships in Lake Ontario never fails to surprise, said state and federal fisheries biologists who held an annual "State of the Lake" meeting Wednesday night at Rochester Institute of Technology. The declining population of native lake trout continues to be a concern, with numbers down 50 percent since last year and 71 percent since peak populations in the 1980s. And fishermen can expect particularly challenging seasons for lake trout over the next few years because the state's stocking program, which supplements naturally reproducing lake trout populations, suffered a blow this year. (March 9, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle

Back to RochesterEnvironment.com home