# Presentation: 102547

## VHS in the Great Lakes and what this means for Idaho

**Keith Johnson, Doug Burton, and Doug Munson**
**Eagle Fish Health Laboratory, IDFG **

## Why should Idaho be concerned?

- 16 of Idaho sport fish are susceptible, including trout, salmon, bass, crappie, perch, walleye, and forage species
- Commercial trout industry is concerned
- Vectors exist that could bring it to Idaho
-  20 years of surveillance in Idaho has been negative

## Viral hemorrhagic septicemia is the most serious disease of cultured fish worldwide

**Viral hemorrhagic septicemia is the most serious disease of cultured fish worldwide**

**Untreatable viral disease**
**VHS is an “emergency, notifiable” disease by the World Animal Health Organization, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and ****Idaho Department of Agriculture**
**Detection of VHSV ****requires *****Destruction***** of the stock ****and**** *****Disinfection***
**VHS **_**does not**_** infect humans**

- Herring

- Rainbow trout

- Walleye

**Disease Signs of VHSV**

_***Hemorrhagic***_**: Causes leaking of blood from vessels under the skin and in internal organs**
_***Septicemia***_**: Virus in blood and spreads **
**throughout the body in circulation**
_***Pop eye***_**: Caused by pressure of hemorrhage **
**pushing beneath the eye**
_***But***_**: Disease Signs are not always present**_* *_

## How bad can it get?

**2006 Freshwater Drum mortality in Lake Erie totaled millions of pounds**
**“****Windrows of fish” along the beach piled up 10’ wide and 4’ high**
**Detected only from ****wild stocks-no hatchery stocks infected yet**
**Predators are infected from infected forage species**

## Slide 7

## 
Black Crappie
Bluegill
Bluntnose Minnow
Brown Bullhead
Brown Trout
Burbot
Channel catfish
Chinook Salmon
Emerald Shiner
Freshwater Drum
Gizzard Shad
Lake Whitefish
Largemouth Bass
Muskellunge

**Black Crappie**
**Bluegill**
**Bluntnose Minnow**
**Brown Bullhead**
**Brown Trout**
**Burbot**
**Channel catfish**
**Chinook Salmon**
**Emerald Shiner**
**Freshwater Drum**
**Gizzard Shad**
**Lake Whitefish**
**Largemouth Bass**
**Muskellunge**

**Pike**
**Pumpkinseed**
**Rainbow Trout**
**Rock Bass**
**Round Goby**
**Shorthead Redhorse**
**Silver Redhorse**
**Smallmouth Bass**
**Spottail Shiner**
**Walleye**
**White Bass**
**White Perch**
**Yellow Perch**

**VHS Susceptible Freshwater Species**
**(revised Nov, 2007)**

## Genetic Differences in North American VHS Isolates

**3.7%-5%**

**2.1%**

**Genetic Differences in North American VHS Isolates**

**Coastal virus hosts are **
**marine baitfish like herring and anchovies, some predators**
**Great Lakes hosts are baitfish and wide variety of predators**
**Genetic analysis shows Great Lakes VHS has an East Coast origin**

## Great Lakes VHSHow did it get into the Great Lakes ecosystem?

**Possibilities**
**By movement of infected fish**
**Sport fishing (bait minnows, contaminated fishing equipment, contaminated live well water, illegal fish stocking)**
**Boating**
**Commercial Ballast Water**
**Basically – We don’t know how it got here**

## VHS Vectors for IDAHO

-  Movement of infected live fish, including baitfish is a proven vector
- VHS virus persists in frozen fish so frozen baitfish are a potential vector for Idaho
- Great Lakes VHS virus survives for a month in freshwater outside of a fish

## Federal Order by APHIS

- VHS Federal Order was issued in October, 2006
- Emergency Action taken to prevent the spread of VHS
- Must be followed-up by formal rulemaking expected soon- winter, 2008

## Current Provisions Under the APHIS Federal Order for VHS

**VHS susceptible species are prohibited from moving out of the 8 States and 2 Canadian Provinces bordering the Great Lakes except under certain conditions:**
**Movement to slaughter or research and diagnostic labs with adequate disinfection**
**Movement of live fish testing negative for VHSV by  laboratory assays**** **
**Movement of salmonids from Canada that meet USFWS Title 50 inspection requirements**

## Implications of VHS for Idaho

- 20 years surveillance has been negative
- 	in cultured and wild fish
- Idaho sport fishing valued at $360 million
- Trout industry valued at $110 million at risk
- ESA-listed anadromous salmon-would these be destroyed if positive (?)
- IDFG, ISDA, USFWS, USDA APHIS, commercial aquaculture, and tribal programs need to work cooperatively to prevent introduction

## What has IDFG done to reduce the risk of introduction?

**Live fish for bait prohibited (1938)**
**Banned importation of all live fish and frozen baitfish from Great Lakes Basin**
**Supported APHIS Federal Order**
**Partnering with Idaho Department of Agriculture and trout industry**
**Import permits of all fish are required from ISDA and IDFG **
**Imports allowed only from inspected sources**
**2008 IDFG Fishing Rules prohibit use of live aquatic baits**

## ISDA Emergency Rule

**Issued Sept 1, 2007**
**All imported fish and eggs require negative inspection results for reportable viruses, including VHS**
**Import permits required from IDFG & ISDA**
**Inspections of imports for disease and permits is provided by ISDA & IDFG rules**

## Captive Wildlife Rules of IdahoProvide for IDFG & ISDA Cooperation

**Import**** of live fish permitted by ISDA & IDFG**
**Releases**** must be approved by IDFG**** ****IDAPA 13.01.11.101 and I.C. 36-7**
**Inspection for disease**** and genetic traits of private pond fish (IDAPA 13.01.10.101.04 & 02.04.21.660) both by IDFG and ISDA**
**Records of sales of fish retained for 3 years (I.C. 22-4602) for ****traceback**

## What more can be done?

- Minimize Risks of potential vectors:
- Private ponds: require virus inspection of all suppliers
- Importations of live fish must exclude baitfish
- Aquatic baits other than fish
- Education of anglers to reduce risks
- Support ISDA on Emergency Import Rule
- Enforcement of existing import and release rules
- Idaho Fish Health and Sterility Management Policy
- 	addresses details of import, transport, and release to public waters and private ponds