VHS Non Existant-Muskie Stockings On Tap

Columbus - After several months of two hatcheries being under quarantine due to the threat of a viral fish disease, state fisheries leaders finally got the all clear in late September.

Testing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that both the Castalia and London hatcheries are clear of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS).

Both hatcheries had been under quarantine since early this summer due to the finding of VHS in fluid samples taken from muskies at Clear Fork Reservoir (Ohio Outdoor News, July 4). Both facilities contained fish that could have been contaminated with the deadly fish virus. They were only cleared by the Ohio Department of Agriculture after three negative tests conducted throughout the summer.

No fish kill was associated with the presence of the virus at Clear Fork, which stood in contrast to the first VHS finding in Ohio in Lake Erie in 2006. In that case, VHS killed thousands of sheepshead and yellow perch.

The problem from the Clear Fork sample, however, was a bit different.

By the time fisheries biologists knew there was a problem at Clear Fork, several things had occurred in the fish-making process at the hatcheries. Eggs that had been collected from the reservoir were taken to the London hatchery for muskie rearing and subsequent stocking. Rainbow trout at London were transferred to the Castalia hatchery to grow out for the state's fall trout stocking._Also, surplus muskie fry from London were stocked at Alum Creek Lake.

"The problem with getting these fish into the hatcheries to produce fingerlings and yearlings is that you can't get a VHS test done fast enough before they get in and out of the hatchery," said Ray Petering, fisheries leader for the DNR_Division of Wildlife.

Also in response to the virus' presence, the Division of Wildlife and the USFWS sampled six locations from Clear Fork Reservoir downstream to the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers. All test results were negative for VHS.

A concern was that the quarantines on the hatcheries would not be lifted in time for this fall's muskie stockings, but that fear has not been realized. A typical fall sees 25,000 muskies stocked at about 10 lakes across the state._Clear Fork gets about 1,000 advanced fingerlings per fall.

Fall stocking of muskies and rainbow trout will proceed as scheduled. Twenty-six Ohio lakes will be stocked with 25,000 catchable rainbow trout throughout October. Advanced muskie fingerlings reared from the eggs taken earlier this year from the Clear Fork Reservoir were stocked in Clear Fork Sept. 23 and will be stocked in Alum Creek Reservoir on Sept. 24.

"We did only stock London muskies back into Clear Fork and Alum Creek," Petering said. "Even though the tests were negative, we're operating on the safe side."