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Location: Forest Lake, MN | http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070513/APC...
WarrenMN |
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| Just read this in the Milwaukee Journal, as well. This is not good news.
I hope everybody, including the pleasure boaters heed the advice of the DNR, and drain their bilges and livewells at the launch. But I am afraid it is only a matter of time before this affects other lakes. |
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| Here's a pretty good article,
http://blog.midwestlakes.org/06-11/viral-hemorrhagic-septicemia.htm...
Zach,
Can you compile a trawler news section here with as many articles as you can find on VHS! Would be nice to have a single location of info.
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Location: Forest Lake, MN | I think its going to have very bad impact regionally is why I posted at the three websites I frequent. Every one is going to be affected. This will likely spread across Wisconsin after their opener last weekend and I'm betting you'll see out breaks across the in land waters across the state radiating out from Winnebago.
I wouldn't be surprised now to see suggestion or even introduction of a ban on minnows or other water born baits as the infection can survive freezing.
WarrenMN
Edited by WarrenMN 5/13/2007 9:00 AM
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Location: Janesville | i hope that we can contain this to only a few lakes but if people dont listen and dont do what the dnr tells them to do then its going to spread like wildfire. lets hope we can contain this to only a few lakes. if this spreads throughout wisconsin then the fisherys are in BIG TROUBLE.
Edited by walleye slyr 5/13/2007 10:01 AM
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| This VHS will be in every lake before to long. Boaters have NO idea what it takes to clean out their wells and water left in the bottom of their hulls. I'm sure this was brought in by boaters early in the discovery of the virus. Sad but I fully expect the VHS virus in every major walleye fishing lake, within a 4 year stretch. |
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| Not to point any fingers at anyone in particular... but might it be a strong possibility that boaters returning from Lake Erie fishing may have brought the virus back and introduced it to Bago. It had to be transported from an infected source. Purple Skeeter
Edited by Purple Skeeter 5/13/2007 11:59 AM
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| Here's a pick from a fish reported to be caught on Poygan from Lake-link.com/Winnebago thread.
(596c85e0b3bd96af07a0db49b95a5375[1].jpg)
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 596c85e0b3bd96af07a0db49b95a5375[1].jpg (43KB - 80 downloads)
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Ocean going freighters brought it in in their ballast sea water, and then planted it by transferring/dumping their bilge water when in the Great Lakes. And (Joe Blow/weekend boater) is not going to rinse his bilge out with anticeptic after his long trip home with the kids. Unlike the other many invasive bullets we've dodged over the last 15 years, this one may have hit some vitals. It's time to voice our concerns in a loud, clear and united voice. Stop the ocean shipping, or find a safe answer to this water transfer problem.
Edited by walleye express 5/13/2007 12:21 PM
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| walleye express - 5/13/2007 12:02 PM
Ocean going freighters brought it in in their ballast sea water, and then planted it by transferring/dumping their bilge water when in the Great Lakes. And (Joe Blow/weekend boater) is not going to rinse his bilge out with anticeptic after his long trip home with the kids. Unlike the other many invasive bullets we've dodged over the last 15 years, this one may have hit some vitals. It's time to voice our concerns in a loud, clear and united voice. Stop the ocean shipping, or find a safe answer to this water transfer problem.
LMAO
You think that a billion dollar industry cares about our fishing waters? Or the Fed government that benifits from said industry? NO and NO they will never stop shipping it brings to many everyday needs to us and the tax and job base is tio large! |
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Location: Manitowoc, WI | If they took the time to calculate how much it would cost them short term versus long term to stop bringing ships into the Great Lakes they would stop in a minute. But, given this world we live in with the need for instant gratification that will not happen.
Every invasive species that enters the Great Lakes does so with a price to be paid. Legislatures are actually starting to look on the side we're on in these matters. I copied and pasted an article on this website a 2-3 weeks ago talking about just this subject. I'll try to find it a bring it here.
As for VHS.....anyone who thought we could do anything to stop it is only fooling themselves. There are measures we can take to diminish it's effect, but there is no stopping this monster from entering every freshwater system in North America. It's just a matter of time.
The studies that are being done in the Eastern Great Lakes, where this predator has been for a few years now, will give us some answers as to how we should treat it and maybe lessen it's effect on our fisheries.
I'm of the opinion that this disease has been around a little longer than we we know.....similar to CWD in Wisconsin. And I also believe that just like CWD there are measures that can be taken to slow and lessen it's effect on a fisherie. Only time will tell. |
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Location: Manitowoc, WI | Here is the article from April 22nd regarding the responses of different legislatures around the Great Lakes regarding shutting down incoming shipping from the Atlantic Ocean.
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JS Online Ban ocean vessels in lakes Some are floating the idea.htm (65KB - 171 downloads)
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Gordy - 5/13/2007 6:10 PM
LMAO
You think that a billion dollar industry cares about our fishing waters? Or the Fed government that benifits from said industry? NO and NO they will never stop shipping it brings to many everyday needs to us and the tax and job base is tio large!
Glad you find it so funny Gordy. But for your info there is about 5 legislators in my state of Mich working on a such a bill right now. With many others from other states and Canada looking in that same direction. The difference in money made by these shippers and their customers versus the total moneys that will be lost if the fisheries collapse is very lopsided. The VHS is past worrying about, it's the next killer or evasive that I'm worried about. But you just stay setting on your hands bud, and let the people who care stick their neck out and take the heat that comes with that assignment. 
Edited by walleye express 5/13/2007 6:45 PM
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Location: Forest Lake, MN | While you argue about regulating shipping, I think your not focusing on the immediate actions that might get called for on the sport fishing industry, a total ban on all water related bait. There likely was a built in barrier between the big lakes and how they're fished and water flow that contained this till now. The single action of this spreading inland to where it can find new methods of transport in the minnow industry is not good. Right now this is contained in the water shed of eastern Wisconsin. In time I'm betting you'll see spot out breaks of fish kills spreading out from that chain of lakes and then it'll jump across to the Mississippi drainage as infected bait is carried to the next destination. It may seem unfair to point to minnows, but I believe this is the worst vehicle for spread of the disease. No we maybe can't stop it, but maybe we can slow it down. We're going to have to look at what it takes to do it and do it quick.
In case you haven't figured out the point I'm going after, slowing it down could mean the decimation of the bait shop industry. While some have suggested certified bait, a total bait movement ban would be more effectively enforced.
This problem is now two fold and should be taken as a last warning. While some are going to say going after the shipping industry is shutting the door after the horse is out, but who's to say the next invasive species that gets introduced might not make this look minor.
Some guick decision are going to have to be made and you better get ready to put up or shut up. There ain't no going back.
We need to have the eyes on the water to report fish kills in hours, not weeks and in a central forum.
WarrenMN
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| Really? Well when you get all the facts straight about the monies let me know. We are talking about millions of jobs in that industry (well paying jobs) Think about it, it's a whole lot more than the people working the ships themselfs!
Your States "elected" are gonna do or say what they think is best for them and their own. However getting things through a Federal government is MUCH tougher than your little States Reps would lead you and others to believe.
So yes the FUNNY part is how they have "you" fooled into thinking they really care about you. In fact they "grand stand" more common than a comedian, thats how they get elected and their name in the highlights. The big problem is it's their 15 min. of fame and then the subject seems to fade.
So yes Dan, your comments are funny, or just the fact that you believe they truely care or could do anything about it.
All commercial fishing as well as shipping and cruise ships would have to just stop----- NOT gonna happen Dan, and I'm sure you are smart enough to know that.
The only true way to stop this spread is STOP all boating worldwide, or atleast no boat or ship may enter any body of water other than one designated body of water. So if you fish Erie thats it, you can't go elsewhere. Or Sag than thats it, never put it on the trailer and hit an inland lake or river!
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Location: Rhinelander | Gentlemen,
Arguing over what the Feds will or won't do or about anything else on this issue will not get us anywhere. Sportsmen have to present a united front. Use that energy to contact the officials that WILL be trying to get something done, and make as much noise as is possible to help them get something done. I think Gordy meant ironic more than amusing. |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | So yes Dan, your comments are funny, or just the fact that you believe they truely care or could do anything about it.
Gordy.
What they really believe matters little to me. But I'll fight the hardest about what I believe and care about. I'll write, threaten, voice my opinion, spread the word to concerned others and not vote for any rep that ignores what harms our states mostly valuable resources. Once they know this is not just a limited opinion by a few crazy's but the majority of this states voting sportsman, what I believe will conveniently become what they believe. If all this fails I will at least feel good about what I tried to do. |
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Please read and sign petition ......
http://www.glu.org/english/invasive_species/saltfreelakes/index.htm
Now, I'm starting to wonder if the shad die off that we had this spring really was normal and not the first sign.
One thing that I would like to stress....... Let's all work together rather than point fingers or get into arguments. Let's use that energy in a productive way. This will be a very emotional situation that will take a long time to fix by many individuals. We must all work together and continue to get the facts right. Let's try to stay away from he said/ she said or I heard from my uncle Louie. We will need factual information.
It just so happens that I wrote some info about preventing the spread in my June article for Midwest Outdoors. Here's the info..............
Do your part to avoid spreading viral fish disease and other invasive species.
A viral fish disease responsible for huge fish kills on several eastern Great Lakes underscores the need for all Wisconsin anglers to take steps to avoid accidentally spreading aquatic invasive species to more lakes and rivers. This is a deadly fish virus that kills fish outright, instead of crowding them out as many other invasive pests do. It could have potentially devastating effects if it spreads to our inland waters.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus is a serious pathogen of fresh and saltwater fish that is an emerging disease in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. The VHS virus affects fish of all sizes and ages. It does not pose any threat to human health. VHS causes hemorrhaging of skin, muscle, and internal organs, and death follows. Some fish infected with VHS will develop antibodies to the virus and will survive. However, after a period of time the fish may start shedding virus again and spread the disease to other fish.
Based on the diagnosis of VHS virus in chinook, walleye, and lake whitefish from Lake Huron in 2006, fisheries biologists believe the virus is probably already in Lake Michigan, and ballast discharged from ships may have moved the virus to port cities on Lake Superior.
The clinical signs of VHS may include hemorrhaging (bleeding), unusual behavior, anemia, bulging eyes, bloated abdomens, and the rapid onset of death; however, these symptoms could apply to many different fish diseases. VHS must be confirmed by lab tests. Additionally, some infected fish may not show any signs and transporting these fish to new locations could spread the disease to new waters.
VHS is not a health threat for people who eat or handle fish infected with the virus. But the virus can infect more than 25 game fish, panfish and bait fish species. It’s suspected to be present in Lake Michigan and possibly in Lake Superior and in the Mississippi River. Wisconsin recently enacted emergency rules for boaters, anglers and people who harvest wild bait to prevent its spread to inland waters.
The viral fish disease is not the only threat that boaters need to worry about. Water-milfoil, zebra mussels, gobies, spiny waterfleas and other invasive species are found in some Wisconsin lakes and can displace native plants, interfere with swimming, boating and fishing. Most of our waters are still free of invasive species but we all need to work to keep it that way.
Anglers, boaters and other water users can help prevent the spread of invasive species and VHS by taking a few simple steps:
• Never move live fish or fish eggs to other waters.
• Buy bait minnows only from Wisconsin bait dealers because bait from other states may not have been tested for VHS.
• Inspect boat, trailer and equipment and remove visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud before leaving the lake launch.
• Drain water from boat, motor, bilge, live wells, and bait containers before leaving a lake. This step is recommended for boaters on all waters and is require under the emergency rules for boaters on the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River and their tributaries up to the first dam.
• Dispose of leftover bait in the trash, not in the water. Do not take live fish or live fish eggs away from the boat landing.
• Rinse boat and recreational equipment with hot water OR dry for at least five days.
• Report large numbers of dead fish or fish with bloody spots to your local DNR fish biologist or conservation warden.
• Leeches, worms, and insects are OK. The use of leaches, worms, and insects for bait is not affected by the new rules. In these rules the term bait means all or part of any frog, crayfish, fish, or fish egg.
• Be careful with dead bait. If you want to use dead bait (all or part of any fish, fish egg, crayfish, or frog), the bait must be a) used on Lake Michigan (including Green Bay and tributaries up to the first dam), b) used on the lake or stream where it was captured, or c) preserved by means other than refrigeration or freezing.
• Kill your fish after fishing the Great Lakes or Mississippi River. You may not transport live fish or fish eggs (including both bait and game fish) away from waters of the Great Lakes or Mississippi River drainages (including tributaries up to the first dam).
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Location: Orland Park, IL | Siince Lake michigan is relatively close to Winnebago. Any transfer risks there? |
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | yes,
Transfer to and from Lake Michigan. As far as we know, this could have come from Lake Michigan. We know that VHS is in Erie and Superior. How could it NOT be in MIchigan? |
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| How many of you guyes went to Lake Erie this year or are planning too?? And how many fished winnebago without disenfecting your live wells? I think VHS has been in our system for awhile now and the DNR may or may not know it. To educate yourselfs on the disease here are a couple good links...shutting the BDM locks will probably have little effect if any...
http://www.lsc.usgs.gov/fhb/leaflets/83.asp
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/Viral-Hemorrhagic-Septicemia-... |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Your absolutely right Dennis. I apologize to all for what seemed to be a harsh reply to Gordy. But the laughing thing got to me. And my pasion for subjects such as these can make my written word come off a bit strained at times.
Few people know the futility of dealing with burocratic egg heads when it comes to the hunting and fishing sports more then I do. I've seen well to often the failed results of their planning and thinking when they make their decisions based on the book or perceved conclusions, rather then the facts that I see daily on the rivers and waters I guide and charter on. Have had my neck stuck out many times for my voiced and written disapprovals. And have had my azz chewed out by the best political and agency professional egg heads in public forums and meetings. Doesn't change what I've observed first hand on the water. Because a person does not have a degree in the specific science, he's assumed to know nothing of the facts involved? BS.
Edited by walleye express 5/14/2007 8:57 AM
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | Sorry, but I have to agree with Gordy on this one. It would take a MASSIVE amount of money to come up with a viable alternative to status quo on shipping through the Great Lakes. Suppose we choose to close the locks and not allow ANY vessel up the St. Lawrence Seaway - then what? Develop a fleet of Great Lakes only ships so what we can re-load every ship prior to it reaching it final destination? Pay for trucking from the east coast? The financial impact of this would be devastating to the mid-west. I agree that it is important to work together, but there is almost NO chance of closing the seaway. Come up with a viable plan before you ask for my support.
A call for tougher regulations to combat invasives would be a worth-while cause and educating everyone of the actions to take to fight their spread (as Sunshine posted) certainly is a great idea. Perhaps we can even use this terrible bit of news to help combat the opening of the Fox River locks. But don't ask me to waste my time calling for the closure of the seaway - that simple won't happen.
I hope I'm wrong on this.
Edited by Brad B 5/14/2007 9:09 AM
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Come up with a viable plan before you ask for my support.
Brad.
You and I have butted heads before on other issues. I don't want or seek a rematch now. Especially with something this important to everyone. I think we both got over that episode quit well. But let me pose this (make believe) question to you.
You just got word from your doctor that you have what may well be terminal cancer. Their not sure yet on how they want to proceed to treat it and possibly save your life. You can however (if you choose) start the chemo theropy that will stall the cancers progression until they decide what course to choose. So, should you wait for a viable plan before they get your support?
Edited by walleye express 5/14/2007 9:15 AM
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Brad,
I tried finding the facts for you but unfortunately the Milwaukee Journal now charges for back issues. They did a great series on exotic species and the shipping industry. I'll keep looking so that we all can quote facts. Here is one fact for ya' that I did find.
Oceangoing traffic on the Great lakes accounts for only about 7% of all Great Lakes shipping. The rest is what you already mentioned. They are a fleet of Great Lakes only ships.
I also know what I read.
In the absence of federal regulations, states have started to impose strict standards on ballast. On Jan. 1, Michigan started requiring permits for ships to release ballast. To get a permit, the ship must show it has technology onboard to treat ballast to kill invasive species. Last year, California imposed rules that ballast have no detectable level of organisms by 2020.
"The states are understandably impatient that we don't have federal regulations, but the shipping industry can't deal with different standards in every state," Theis says.
The Coast Guard has authority to regulate ballast under the National Invasive Species Act of 1996. It hopes to release an environmental analysis this summer. Proposed regulations could arrive in 2008.
"It's a … complex issue," says Bivan Patnaik, regulatory coordinator for environmental standards at the Coast Guard.
Congress has considered several proposals for standards over the last few years, but the bills have died because of disagreements over details, such as whether federal law should overrule state laws.
Cargo firms won't buy treatment systems, which cost $500,000 to $1 million per ship, until they know the regulations, says Joel Mandelman, vice president of Nutech 03 Inc., an Arlington, Va., company that sells a system to treat ballast.
'A Catch-22'
Regulators won't set standards until they know what technology works. And venture capitalists won't invest in developing a technology without knowing the regulation and marketplace.
"It's crazy. This is a Catch-22 that's been going on for a decade," Mandelman says.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the shipping industry began trying to reduce the release of invasive species. The industry encouraged ships to certify they had "no ballast on board." Those with ballast were expected to exchange the water in deep ocean, where high salt content would kill most invasive species.
The strategy hasn't worked. "We haven't seen a reduction in invasive species since these practices went into effect," says University of Michigan scientist Thomas Johengen.
Johengen's research found that ships can't dump all their ballast. A layer of murky water and sediment remains in the cavelike structure of a ship's hull. Even ships labeled as having "no ballast on board" are carrying invasive species.
When a ship unloads foreign cargo in the USA, the vessel takes on ballast. The Great Lakes water mixes with the foreign residue to become an aquarium for invasive species. Later, when the ship takes on U.S. cargo before it leaves, the freighter dumps perhaps 60,000 tons of ballast mixture into the Great Lakes.
Johengen says ballast must be treated inside the ship to kill invasive species.
It's not clear how best to do that. Several approaches — using chemical, heat, ozone or ultra-violet rays — are being explored. Research has been slow because it's unclear what the regulations will require.
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