Public hearings on VHS disease in Wisconsin

For a long time there have been procedures in place for trout and salmon eggs to be disinfected to avoid the spread of disease. However, similar procedures are not found for eggs of other cool or cold water species such as musky and walleye. There does not seem to be enough scientific research done to find out if current methods to disinfect coldwater eggs may be toxic to cool water eggs. If the methods can be used, the question becomes if they are effective enough to eradicate the virus. Here are some issues discussed at the meeting: · VHS was first found in Great Lakes freshwater fish in 2005, but the virus has been known since the late 1930s in Europe. It first appeared on the US West Coast in 1988 in marine trout and salmon, and started to be noticed in marine fish off New Brunswick from 2000-04. · VHS is one of nine pathogens of aquatic animals that have to be reported to federal and international officials within 24 hours of discovery because of its sudden-effects and high mortality. · The strain of virus isolated in 20 different Great Lakes fish tested for the disease is nearly identical, suggesting the disease hasn’t had time to evolve. · Infected fish are often hard to locate because the fish don’t show outward signs of their infection. Researchers at Cornell University have reported that 30 % of the Coho salmon they tested looked healthy but had VHS. · A VHS test specific to the current genetic strain of VHS found in Wisconsin is under development and is able to produce results in one day instead of 28. It is also more sensitive.