South Shore Fishing Association

IMPORTANT DNR PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2007

Contacts: Kelley Smith 517-373-3375, Gary Whelan 517-373-6948 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014


Department of Natural Resources Confirms Spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in Great Lakes

Recent analyses of fish sampled from northern Lake Huron have confirmed
the existence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in lake whitefish,
walleyes and Chinook salmon, Department of Natural Resources fisheries
officials announced today. VHS is a virus that causes disease in fish
but does not pose any threat to public health.

The analyses that were completed earlier this week establish that VHS
has now been confirmed in lake whitefish samples from the Cheboygan
area, in lake whitefish and walleye samples from the Thunder Bay area,
and in Chinook salmon samples from the Swan River egg-take station near
Rogers City.

"The continuing march of VHS through the waters of the Great Lakes is a
major challenge to our agency and our management options," said DNR
Director Rebecca A. Humphries. "These new discoveries are extremely
unfortunate and further highlight the problems created by the constant
introductions of new diseases from outside of the Great Lakes region,
the speed with which they can spread, and the threat that such pathogens
pose to our natural resources."

VHS was detected in lake whitefish from the Cheboygan area after
re-analyzing samples collected in 2005 during a survey for bacterial
kidney disease (BKD).

"It is not unusual for us to collect fish that have unknown viruses,
which typically require a significant effort to properly identify," said
Gary Whelan, fish production manager for the DNR. "Once we had
indications of VHS in other samples of fish from Lake Huron, this sample
was retrieved from storage and fully analyzed by Dr. Mohamed Faisal at
Michigan State University."

Samples from the Thunder Bay area were collected last fall during a
mortality event that included lake whitefish and walleyes.

"At the time, we suspected that the cause of the mortality might be
related to VHS," said Kelley Smith,
chief of the DNR Fisheries Division. "Because the fish were so badly
decomposed, however, it is still not certain that VHS caused these fish
to die since botulism was also a possible cause. But given the detection
of VHS and the fact that the mortality occurred during the spawning
season both implicate VHS as the probable cause of death of these fish."

A number of Chinook salmon observed at the Swan River egg-take station
last fall also showed signs of VHS infection, Whelan said. A standard
fish health inspection that is annually conducted by the DNR Fisheries
Division on this key broodstock did document VHS in both female and male
fish, including one fish exhibiting clinical signs of VHS. Standard
methods for disinfecting the eggs were applied last fall at the egg-take
station prior to transfer of the eggs to the state's hatchery
facilities. To date, all lots of Chinook salmon hatched from these eggs
and being reared in DNR hatchery facilities have been tested and all are
negative for VHS, which is attributable to the disinfection methods that
have been employed at all the DNR's egg-take stations for many years.

"This shows that our standard disinfection procedures, similar to those
used on the West Coast where VHS has been found for a long time, were
effective in protecting our hatcheries and the fish reared in those
hatcheries," Whelan said.

DNR officials have been in contact with personnel in the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, alerting
them to the new confirmations of VHS in Lake Huron fish, and outlining
the steps being taken by the DNR in response to this new information.

"In the continued battle to slow the spread of VHS throughout the Great
Lakes, we must remain vigilant, take every precaution, and implement all
options available to us," Smith said.

Those actions include:

*   Reclassification of Michigan's waters of Lake Huron, including
Saginaw Bay, as a VHS Positive Management Area. In addition to Lake
Huron, the management area encompasses the state's waters of the St.
Clair River, Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River and Lake Erie.

*   Reclassification of Michigan's waters of the St. Marys River
from the Soo Locks to Lake Huron and all of Lake Michigan as a VHS
Surveillance Management Area.

*   Sampling efforts for several fish species, including walleyes,
emerald shiners and lake whitefish will be significantly increased in
the new VHS Surveillance Management Area.

*   Additional testing of all lots of Chinook salmon in the state's
hatchery facilities that originated from eggs collected at the Swan
River weir will be conducted prior to stocking those fish in the state's
waters.

*   A prohibition on the trap and transfer of live fish that are
collected from the state's waters of the Great Lakes for management
purposes unless the fish have tested negative for VHS.

*   Increased efforts to inform anglers and others about the dangers
of VHS, especially to inland waters of the state. Anglers are asked not
to move live fish between the Great Lakes and inland waters,
particularly minnow species, and to use standard disinfection techniques
for boats, live wells and other equipment. See
www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing for more information on helping prevent the
spread of disease and invasive species on the Great Lakes.

Citizens are encouraged to report sick fish or fish kills to their local
DNR office or use the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Anglers
should contact the DNR if they observe fish that exhibit any of the
following signs: hemorrhaging in the skin, including large red patches
particularly on the sides and anterior portion of the head; multiple
hemorrhages on the liver, spleen, or intestines; or hemorrhages on the
swim bladder that give the otherwise transparent organ a mottled
appearance. This information will help DNR fisheries staff to track VHS
and take appropriate management actions to help slow the spread of this
virus.

Anglers and boaters can also help prevent the spread of VHS and other
viruses or bacteria that cause disease in fish by not transferring fish
between water bodies, and by thoroughly cleaning boats, trailers, nets,
and other equipment when traveling between different lakes and streams.
The use of a light disinfectant such as a solution of one part chlorine
bleach to 10 parts water (i.e., one gallon of bleach to 10 gallons of
water) to clean vessels and live wells is very effective against VHS and
other viruses and bacteria that cause disease in fish. Soaking exposed
items such as live wells, nets, anchors, and bait buckets in a light
disinfectant for 30 minutes is also an effective method to prevent the
spread of a wide range of aquatic nuisance species.

In 2005, VHS was detected for the first time in Great Lakes fish species
in the US and Canada, including muskellunge in Michigan's waters of Lake
St. Clair and freshwater drum in Lake Ontario. It is not known how VHS
was transferred to the Great Lakes region or how long it has been in the
waterways of the Great Lakes.

The DNR is committed to conservation, protection, management, use and
enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future
generations.