Mild, pleasant conditions ushered in the official beginning of summer, with the arrival of the summer solstice this Thursday. Most of the state has received at least half an inch of rain in the last week, with far northern Wisconsin receiving a much needed inch or more. Wildfire conditions are low over most of the state, with moderate fire danger in some areas of central Wisconsin.
Good news continues to roll in on the fish virus front, as no more fish have tested positive for VHS in the past week and reports of fish kills and sick-looking fish are slowing.
With the opening of the northern zone bass season last Saturday, fishing for largemouth and smallmouth provided most of the highlights in the Northwoods this week. Bass are in a post-spawn pattern and have not been real aggressive yet. Musky action has been heating up with many more fish starting to get into an active feeding mode, especially on the Flambeau and Chippewa rivers. Panfish action has been very good. Bluegill are finishing up spring spawning and catches have been very good.
Walleye fishing has been very, very good on the Winnebago system. Catfishing on the Fox River has been very productive. White bass were also being caught up and down the Fox River. Water levels on the Upper Rock and Crawfish rivers are dropping due to the recent dry weather. The levels are still good enough for boating and the recreational boat traffic on the upper Rock River has been heavy. Anglers have been catching channel catfish on the Upper Rock and Crawfish rivers.
Fishing on Green Bay remained good. Perch catches tapered off, but some anglers were still reporting quality catches. Some quality catches of walleyes were also reported this week. Smallmouth action slowed this week. Nice king salmon and rainbow trout have been coming into Sturgeon Bay. Anglers trolling Lake Michigan brought back nice catches of chinook salmon, rainbow trout, coho salmon, and lake trout. A large 16-pound, 34-inch chinook salmon was caught off the north Manitowoc pier on Sunday.
Water levels on the Mississippi River are low, down to 7.4 feet at Prairie du Chien this week. Mississippi River panfish action was light to moderate; bass action was moderate along weed beds points and breaks; and northern pike action was good to excellent.
Trout fishers were having good action on brook trout on some Coulee Country streams. A seasonal event that has been occurring over the past week and should go on for another week or so is the hatching of the hexagenia mayfly. The "Hex," as it is called, is a big fly about 2 inches long that hatches on hot humid nights. Large brown trout go on feeding frenzies on these nights, when mayflies can literally carpet the water. This also attracts many fly-fishing anglers who may be seen stumbling along creeks at night casting flyrods in the darkness hoping to catch trophy trout.
A variety of butterflies have been seen, including monarch ,wood satyr, wood nymph, European skipper, red-spotted purple, and American lady. Many varieties of dragonflies have also shown up in great abundance.
Birds seen in the last week include indigo buntings, towhees, golden finches, rose-breasted grosbeaks, red polls, and a variety of wrens. Wild turkey broods are beginning to appear around the area. Young wild turkeys, called poults, are very vulnerable to predation for several weeks after hatching as they are incapable of flight and roost on the ground. When poults are about two weeks old, they gain the ability to fly up into trees to night roost, escaping from most nighttime predators such as fox, coyotes, raccoons, and owls.
Prairie and purple coneflowers, wild quinine, blue flag, ox-eye daisy, yarrow, and blackberry and raspberry vines are in bloom, and wood strawberries are beginning to produce fruit.
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
A new report is put on the line each week.
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Birding Report
Many birds are starting to fledge young, especially those that are short-distance migrants. House Wren fledglings were seen this week. Robins are building second nests already.
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NORTHERN REGION
Superior DNR Service Center area
Brule River State Forest - June 21…summer is officially here…a wonderful time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Hiking is a great way to experience the outdoors in the Brule River State Forest. There are several hiking opportunities in the Brule River State Forest with a variety of terrain and distances. A 16 mile segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail passes through the forest on its route between North Dakota and New York. It also follows along the 2 Mile Historic Brule/St. Croix Portage Trail located North of Solon Springs on County Rd. A. The Afterhours Ski Trails are great to use during the non-ski season providing numerous loops to make for a short or long hike. The Stony Hill Nature Trail is a 1.65 mile loop located across from the Bois Brule Campground. The Old Bayfield Road Hiking and Snowshoe Trail is a 2.25 mile loop located 3 miles north of Highway 2 on Clevedon Rd. This trail has a connecting trail to the Copper Range Campground and a great overlook of Lake Superior. There are also 40 miles of hunter walking trails within the Brule River State Forest. Crows and ravens are starting to fledge. Their behavior may seem strange at this age leading people to assume that they have the West Nile virus. Now is also the time when people see car hit crows and ravens as the young birds aren't quick enough to get out of the way of traffic. Spreading dogbane, valerian and sweet clover have started blooming. The blooming flowers attract many insects. One interesting insect that is active now are the clearwing moths (commonly called hummingbird moths). At first glance they look like hummingbirds darting from flower to flower, on closer inspection antennae and a long proboscis (mouth part) can be seen if they will stay still for a moment. Their wings loose their scales except along the veins during their first flight creating "see though", or clear wings. Monday, June 18 the Brule area received an inch of rain bringing the Bois Brule River flow up to 170 cubic feet per second (cfs) for a short while. As of June 21, the Bois Brule River was flowing at 136 cfs, the 62 year average is 152 cfs. With the Fourth of July coming up the Brule River State Forest wishes to remind people that it is illegal to set off fireworks in Wisconsin State Parks and Forests. Sparklers are ok to use but anything that goes "boom", is self propelled, or has flames coming out is considered illegal. This law is in effect to protect the fireworks users, other recreationists, and the natural resources. Saturday, June 23, DNR Aquatic Ecologist Bob DuBois will lead a "dragonfly walk" for people to learn about the biology, ecology, behavior and identification of dragonflies and damselflies of northern Wisconsin with emphasis on field identification, habitat requirements, and understanding behavior. Specimens will be netted, examined in hand and released. Information will also be given about becoming involved in Wisconsin's statewide dragonfly and damselfly survey. Bring appropriate field clothing and knee-high boots or hip waders, or be prepared to get wet. Nets and field guides will be provided. Close-focusing binoculars and monocular hand lens (10X loupe) is extremely helpful if anyone can bring them. Call Cathy at (7-1) 372-5678 extension 0 to sign up.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - With the opening of bass season last Saturday, fishing for largemouth and smallmouth provided most of the highlights for this past week. Generally warm temperatures and some erratic weather with periodic thunderstorms greeted the anglers and action could only be termed fair. The bass seem to be in their post-spawn pattern and have not been real aggressive yet. Success was best on smaller finesse baits such as small rubber worms and tube jigs, and presentations had to be rather slow. Most largemouth still seem to be in a 'free-swimming' mode and have been found along and in the weed beds and among the newly developing lily pad beds. But look for them to develop a more 'structure pattern' as the summer develops where they'll be relating more to wood, docks and thick weed cover. Smallmouth have been a little tougher to find than the largemouth and many still seem to be holding in deeper water off of their spawning areas. Musky action has been heating up with many more fish starting to get into an active feeding mode, especially on the Flambeau and Chippewa rivers. Small bucktails and jerk baits seem to be the best baits and the late afternoon hours have provided most of the action. Panfish action has been very good. Bluegill are finishing up their spring spawning ritual and catches have been very good. Perch have also been active and are being found along the deeper weed edges. Crappie have recovered from their spawning activities and some decent success has been had in shallower water along any emergent weed lines. Walleye success has been erratic. With continuing mayfly hatches, the bite has been inconsistent and fish often hard to find. The best catches have been in the middle of weed beds and on the deep drop-offs in 8 to 12 feet of water, with leeches and crawler rigs producing the best action.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Walleye action is reported to be fair early in the day and along weed beds or in submerged timber. Musky are hitting on surface baits. Some bluegills can still be found in the shallows but in some area lakes spawning activity is done and they have moved out to the deeper weed edges. Local fisheries biologists are also reporting that there have been local bacteria outbreaks resulting in small fish kills of smaller pan fish in some of the shallower lakes in the area. These localized kills occur annually usually after the first extended warm spell when there are numerous pan fish in shallow water spawning. These fish can easily succumb to bacteria generated by the rapidly warming water because they area already stressed from the process of making beds and spawning. Area Conservation Wardens continue their reminders to the public to wear PFDs when out on lakes, rivers and streams. It only takes a moment to put that PFD on. No one likes to think that disaster can strike at any moment. Yes, the devices are bulky and hot on those really warm days. However, even the best trained boaters and anglers are as subject to danger as everyone else, even on those days when conditions seem to be at their best. Conservation wardens also continue their reminders to fishermen to carry their fishing license on their person and to remember the daily bag and size limits posted for area lakes. Don’t forget to double-check your boat registration documents to make sure that you are current.
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NORTHEAST REGION
Green Bay DNR Service Center area
Brown County - The fishing on the bay remains good. Although yellow perch catches have tapered off in the past week, some anglers were still reporting quality catches. The depth in which the perch were found seemed to vary this week from 10 to 30 feet. Most anglers were having luck on fatheads although some were caught on crawlers. Some quality catches of walleyes were reported this week out of the metro boat ramp by shore anglers. Leeches seem to be the best bet. Some nice catfish along with numerous drum have been steady so far this summer off the shore on the Fox in addition to out on the bay. The walleye action has been hit or miss on the bay. Some nice catches have been reported up the west shore near Geano Beach and Suamico. Most of the walleyes have been found in 10 to 20 feet of water trolling crawlers and cranks. Smallmouth action has also slowed this week, although some could still be found along weed edges and structure.
Manitowoc County - In Manitowoc, anglers had another great week of fishing with favorable weather conditions throughout the week. Fishing pressure was very high this past week. Anglers trolling on Lake Michigan brought back some nice catches of chinook salmon, rainbow trout, coho salmon, and lake trout. Many boats had success trolling in 40 to 70 feet of water with lines set 25 to 35 feet down. Anglers fishing from the piers had a slow week for salmon. In Two Rivers, anglers had another great week of fishing with many boaters taking to Lake Michigan. Anglers had success trolling in shallower depths of 50 to 75 feet and trolling in deeper depths of 125 to 175 feet with lines set 50 to 80 feet down. Many boats returned with large catches of rainbow trout, chinook salmon, and a few lake trout and coho salmon. The fishing seemed most productive around sunrise and sunset. Anglers fishing from the north pier had a fair week for chinook salmon. While fishing off the bottom was slow for some anglers, casting medium sized Cleo's produced a couple nice chinook salmon. One large chinook salmon caught off the north pier just before sunrise on Sunday morning weighted 16 pounds with a length of 34 inches.
Sturgeon Bay DNR Service Center area
Door County - This weather has been mostly sunny and warm, probably hot, with sunny bright skies and mostly moderate breezes. Nice king salmon and rainbow trout have been coming into Sturgeon Bay. Anglers fishing the Bank Reef early mornings were having good luck. Later in the day the fish seemed to be moving out into deeper water in the 160 to 180 foot range. Fly and dodger combinations seem to be most successful for the kings, while anglers fishing spoons in the top 60 or so feet of water are connecting with the rainbows. Farther north anglers fishing out of Baileys Harbor are reporting similar success. Smallmouth bass continued to be caught all over the county. Large live minnows, tube jigs and Rapalas continue to produce bass. Perch fishing continues to be good. The southern shore of Green Bay, along with Little Sturgeon and Riley’s Bay, were producing some excellent fish in 30 feet of water, as were the waters around Chaudoir’s dock in 20-30 feet of water, and the edges of the weed beds in Sturgeon Bay. The Egg Harbor Marina continued to produce some nice catches of perch on small minnows and night crawlers. The best walleye action continued to come from the southern parts of Green Bay, with Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay and Sand Bay producing some nice walleye. There were a few rumors of walleye starting to show up in the waters around Chambers and Horse Shoe islands and the shore off of Peninsula State Park. Anglers trolling along the shores at night with crank baits and night crawler harnesses seem to be producing the most walleye. Northern pike action seems to be slowing down. Little Sturgeon was continuing to produce some nice catches of crappie and bluegill.
Peninsula State Park - Trails are ready for summer use, and in very good condition. Spring wildflowers are fading, while summer wildflowers are taking over. Flowers are plentiful on roadsides and meadows. Some of the more interesting and commonly seen summer birds: white pelicans, cormorants, wood ducks, mergansers, bald eagles, osprey. Peninsula is a birders paradise. Water levels in Green Bay and Lake Michigan are still very low. Peninsula State Park golf course is open. Visit the Golf Course Web site at [www.peninsulagolf.org] or call (920) 854-5791 American Folklore Theatre’s summer season is underway. Three GREAT programs are being offered. Tours of the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse are offered daily for a small fee. Visit their Web site at [www.EagleBluffLighthouse.org].
Kewaunee County - Warm temperatures over the past week have made the fishing enjoyable throughout much of the county. Anglers fishing off the pier in Kewaunee reported that fishing has been slow over the last week. Casting spoons had limited success this past week, but a few kings have been caught. Anglers fishing off the pier in Algoma have been reporting a few salmon, and trout have also been caught on spoons. Anglers that have been trolling out on the lake having been coming in with good catches of kings and rainbows. Most of the fish coming in have been over 15 pounds. Anglers have been fishing in any where from 90 to about 300 feet of water. Fish were being caught mostly in depths between 100 and 150 feet, with some fish being caught at 200 feet. Anglers have had the most success using fly and dodger combos, but spoons having also been working as well.
Oshkosh DNR Service Center area
Upper Fox-Wolf basin fisheries report - Walleye fishing has been very, very good system wide. Anglers are having success pulling crank baits or crawling harnesses in lakes Winnebago, Winneconne and Poygan. On the Fox River, vertical jigging with leeches has been more productive than night crawlers. Northerns in the 32 to 36-inch range were being hooked in Partridge Lake and Lake Poygan on spinner baits. Catfishing in the Fox River using leeches has been very productive. Bluegills were being found in Lake Butte des Morts system-wide and around the bays on the west side of Lake Winnebago. White bass were being caught up and down the Fox River. Panfish were being hooked on night crawlers in the Wolf River and Lake Poygan.
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SOUTHEAST REGION
Havenwoods State Forest - A variety of butterflies have been seen, including wood satyr, wood nymph, European skipper, red-spotted purple, and American lady. Birds seen include wild turkey hen, yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, dickcissel, bobolink, kingbird, green heron, cedar waxwings (nesting), henslow sparrow, and sedge wren. Prairie and purple coneflowers, wild quinine, and golden Alexanders (in the rain garden) are in bloom.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan shore anglers fishing the lake side of the south pier have been catching just a few browns on orange & gold or orange & silver spoons. Trollers off Sheboygan have had to work hard to find fish. Rainbows and chinooks have been scattered in 100 to 160 feet of water.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington shore anglers near the power plant have been able to catch an occasional brown on spawn, and those fishing off the end of the pier have been catching decent numbers of perch on jigs. Trollers out of Port Washington have been catching mostly rainbows and chinooks in 80 to 100 feet of water. Flashers and flies in a variety of colors have been effective.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee shore fishing remains slow. Milwaukee trollers have been catching coho and a few lake trout, chinooks, and rainbows. Orange flashers and green or blue flies have been productive 40 to 50 feet down in 70 to 80 feet of water north of the harbor. Dredging is complete at Bender Park, and the boat launch is open again.
Racine County - In Racine shore fishing for trout and salmon has been slow, but perch anglers fishing off the piers have been catching good numbers on just about anything, including live bait, spoons, jigs, and crank baits. Boaters looking for perch have taken their limits at the bubbler or off the breakwall. Racine trollers continue to catch mostly coho, but fish have been more difficult to come by recently. Spoons fished around 100 feet of water have been the most productive.
Kenosha County - Kenosha shore anglers looking for perch have been having sporadic action. The most fish have been taken off the ends of the piers or off the rocks to the south of the south pier. Minnows dragged slowly along the bottom have been taking the most keeper size perch. Anglers fishing for perch from boats have been catching good numbers consistently off the bubble and at times at the breakwall. Action for Kenosha trollers has been relatively slow, with boats only bringing in a few coho. Dodgers and flies in green, white, or orange have been the most effective.
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SOUTH CENTRAL REGION
Fitchburg DNR Service Center area
Jefferson County - Anglers have been catching channel catfish up to 5 pounds in size on the Upper Crawfish River near Hubbleton. The fish were biting on night crawlers, chicken livers and stink bait. Evening fishing has produced the best success. Anglers fishing on the Upper Rock River at the lower dam in Watertown were catching a lot of channel catfish. Most were under a pound in size, though many were only 8-10 inches in length. Anglers were having fair success on Rock Lake catching bluegill. The fish are suspending out in deeper water on the lake. A recent columnaris bacteria outbreak killed several hundred bluegill again this year but now appears to be over as the stress of spawning is past. Bass anglers were having good success on Rock Lake catching keeper size bass near the weed beds. Water levels on the Upper Rock and Crawfish rivers are dropping due to the recent dry weather. The levels are still good enough for boating and the recreational boat traffic on the upper Rock River has been heavy.
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WEST CENTRAL REGION
La Crosse DNR Service Center area
Weather the La Crosse Area ranged from stormy to hot and humid with moderate to strong winds over the weekend. Water levels on the Mississippi River and other area rivers ranged from low to moderate despite the recent precipitation. There was heavy boat traffic on the Mississippi River over the weekend and that combined with the strong winds made for rough travel on the river. On the Mississippi River panfish action was light to moderate; bass action was moderate along weed beds points and breaks; and northern pike action was good to excellent. Trout fishers were having good action on brook trout on some Vernon County streams and the Kickapoo River. Sightings of deer with fawns and car vs. deer collisions have been more common recently. Wild turkey broods are beginning to appear around the area. Young wild turkeys, called poults, are very vulnerable to predation for several weeks after hatching as they are incapable of flight and roost on the ground. When poults are about two weeks old, they gain the ability to fly up into trees to night roost, escaping from most nighttime predators such as fox, coyotes, raccoons, and owls. As summer progresses, several hens and their broods may join together to form gang broods. Watch for wild turkey broods in grassy fields, where the poults feed voraciously on insects. Although some of us may complain about the recent large insect hatches, insects serve many valuable purposes. They provide a tremendous protein source to songbirds, other upland birds and waterfowl that enable them to grow efficiently. Insects also pollinate many valuable plants and provide a host of other services. Another bumper crop of poison ivy has developed, especially in the river bottoms. Be especially careful when visiting Mississippi River islands and sandbars. Dogs often transfer poison ivy to their human companions by running through poison ivy and then brushing against or whacking their tails against people. Some dogs can also develop a rash when exposed to the plant juices.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River has been dropping slowly all week. Last week the river was at 8.2 feet but is now down to 7.4 feet. The forecast for the Mississippi River is to slowly fall. The Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers rose a little after heavy local rains fell early this week. All the trout streams in the area are up just a bit from the rain, however they are settling out quickly. Fishing action was pretty good this week. Bluegill action was good in backwater areas as many continue to spawn. Bluegills have been biting on the Mississippi River up by the Lynxville dam. In the Prairie du Chien area the Ambro Slough Complex continues to produce some nice bluegills but anglers are really searching around for active fish. Some anglers have been trying for bluegill on wing dams and deeper water with limited success. Some very nice catches of bluegills has been reported on Horseshoe Lake in shallow water. Some anglers are starting to “dead line” bluegills in deep water, but again this tactic has been spotty. Downed trees and snags have produced good action in slower moving sloughs. Bluegill action on the backwaters of the Wisconsin was fair. Crappie and perch action was spotty. Some better perch action was reported up in the backwaters south of the Lansing dike. White bass action was a little slower this week. Both the Mississippi River and the Wisconsin River had very spotty action. Watch for white bass surface feeding then cast a spinner, small imitation minnow, or anything else flashy into the school. Walleye fishing was pretty good. Anglers have been trolling the area south of the Roseau Slough with some success. Trolling or working wing dams with crank baits have produced some nice fish. Wing dam action on the main channel has been good at times using jigs and leeches. Saugers have been active outside Cold Spring on some days. The best baits have been chartreuse crank baits. Bass fishing on the Mississippi River is pretty good. Many anglers were catching decent fish using plastics and spinner baits. The bass are associating with weeds or woody cover. Smallmouth bass action has been decent on wing dams, slough closures and rocky shorelines. The smallmouth bass action on the Wisconsin River was very good again this week. Catfish are really starting to bite. Some nice catches of catfish came off both the Mississippi River and the Wisconsin River using stink baits or night crawlers. Most noticeable are the Mississippi River, catfish which are becoming more active. The best bullhead action has been in shallow backwater areas of both the Mississippi River and the Wisconsin River. Trout anglers report a pretty good action. Many of the local trout streams produced decent brook and brown trout. Trout fishing is becoming a bit more difficult due to the heavy vegetation and insects. A variety of waterfowl can be seen on area waters tending their young. Many other species of birds are actively tending nest or young ones. Whitetail deer fawns are being observed throughout the county. Many other animals like fox, coyote, squirrels and rabbits have their young ones out and about for the most part. The DNR urges people who encounter these baby animals to observe them from a distance and do not pick them up. Also family pets should be monitored closely as they can injure or kill baby animals. Poison ivy, parsnip, and stinging nettle are out in force. A fair amount of mosquitoes are being encountered especially in the low lying areas along the river systems. Deer flies are also starting to come out. A pretty strong gnat hatch happened last week.
Eau Claire DNR Service Center area
Brunet Island State Park - The open water game fish and panfish action has been very good this month. Smallmouth bass have been hitting below the dams. Largemouth bass and northern pike action has been productive, and there has been good musky action in the area. Visitors who observe or come across young birds or animals, should not touch them and should leave them as they are. Their parents are very likely to be close by, and are quietly waiting for you to move on. Generally, they will wait until people leave the immediate area before attending to their young. Species of birds seen or heard include: indigo buntings, towhees, golden finches, ravens, rose-breasted grosbeaks, loons, robins, red polls, a variety of wrens, phoebes, Canada geese, turkey vultures, northern juncos, pileated woodpeckers, great blue herons, green herons, barred owls, ravens, osprey, bald eagles and belted kingfishers. The Canada geese goslings are quite numerous this year and are growing quickly. The painted and snapping turtles have been digging nests throughout the park property. The whitetail does are having their fawns, and quite a few young gray and red squirrels are out on their own. The fireflies, mayflies, and monarch butterflies have arrived. Many varieties of dragonflies have shown up in great abundance. Blue flag, dog violet, orange hawkweed, wild columbine, ox eye daisy, wooly yarrow, grove sandwort, blackberry and raspberry vines, and common and wood strawberry are in bloom. The wood strawberries are beginning to produce fruit.
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VHS update as of June 21, 2007
Test results for the virus
Good news continues to roll in as no more fish have tested positive for VHS and, as expected, reports of fish kills and sick-looking fish are slowing. Fish immune systems are stronger with warmer water temperatures and better able to withstand the virus, although they remain carriers. The negative results returned this week include five different walleye collected from the Wolf River and Lake Winnebago in May, and two yellow bass from Long Lake in Manitowoc County. Updated test results (pdf, 137kb) are available on the DNR Web site. Fisheries Director Mike Staggs called the results “very encouraging” and said they underscored the importance of actions taken to halt the spread of VHS. “After it showed up in Lake Winnebago, there was a lot of pessimism that VHS would likely be all over the state,” Staggs says. “Each week we’re getting results back showing it’s definitely not widespread in Wisconsin, so we have a very real hope we can keep it out of most of the waters of the state.”
Fish kills and sick fish
Andy Fayram, the fisheries biologist tracking fish kills and citizen and biologist reports of sick fish, notes a steep increase in reported fish kills – 97 events reported thus far in 2007 compared to 20 reports last year. Fayram says the increase likely reflects anglers and biologists responding to calls to report fish kills or suspect fish. Also, 2007 seems to be shaping up as a bad year for columnaris, a native bacterial fish disease that causes the gills, skin and the mouth to erode and may also cause large red sores on fish skin. Columnaris commonly affects panfish such as bluegills, crappies and yellow perch, but can also infect bullheads and bass.
Draft proposals seek to make existing VHS rules permanent
DNR is asking the state Natural Resources Board to approve public hearings on proposals to make permanent existing VHS rules. The request will be considered at the board’s June 27 meeting in Oconomowoc. Currently, VHS emergency rules aim to stop the movement of live fish, fish eggs, fish parts and water away from waters where VHS has been found or is suspected: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, the Lake Winnebago System, the Mississippi River and their tributaries up to the first dam or first barrier impassable to fish. The emergency rules also automatically extend the requirements statewide if a fish from outside those waters tests positive for VHS. And they establish a permit system for people who harvest and sell bait from the wild to help DNR track potential VHS sources. The goal is to complete the rule-making process in time for permanent rules to be in place before, or right after, the emergency rules expire. Michigan earlier this month adopted rules for anglers and the bait industry to prevent the spread of VHS in that state [http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10371_10402-170245--,00.html]. New York, which June 19 reported that VHS was the cause of an ongoing fish kill of smallmouth bass and rock bass in one of its Finger Lakes, also passed rules this month [http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/33072.html] .
Stocking update
The risk of spreading VHS through stocking fish into Wisconsin waters spurred DNR on May 16 to impose a moratorium on stocking and transfers of fish from its hatchery system. Private stocking of fish into state waters by lake associations, sport groups or other parties is also undergoing greater scrutiny. DNR continues to follow its routine process for issuing permits if the fish have been broadly tested for disease and if the fish are destined for those specific waters where VHS has already been found – Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Winnebago, and Little Lake Butte des Morts. For private stocking intended to go to any where else – including tributaries or connecting waters to those lakes where VHS has already been found -- DNR and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are considering permits on a case-by-case basis. The risks of stocking fish raised in private hatcheries are the same as those in state hatcheries – they could have been exposed to VHS through their water supply, the forage fish fed to larger fish, or from wild fish being transferred or spawned to produce the hatchery fish.
Outreach and information
Long-lasting metal signs with the VHS-prevention steps have been distributed to fish biologists in the Lake Winnebago, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Mississippi River watersheds to replace laminated signs posted at many of those waters where VHS has been found or is suspected. Signs are also headed to parts of Wisconsin where the virus has not been found yet.
Most frequently asked question of the week
What are the chances we can stop this disease when it survives in water and may be spread by birds?
We stand a good chance of slowing the spread of VHS, and we must focus efforts on those pathways that present the greatest risk because they involve the virus at high enough concentrations to infect fish. While a little water left in a bilge, on fishing equipment or carried by a bird all carry a very low risk of transmission, moving infected fish or large amounts of water that contain the virus to new locations are high risk activities. That’s why DNR’s emergency rules require draining all water from boats and do not allow live fish to leave boat landings. In the Great Lakes, efforts need to be directed to the movement of large amounts of ballast water by cargo ships, especially in cases where ballast water is taken on board when active VHS outbreaks are occurring.
As for birds: VHS cannot be transmitted through the feces of birds that eat infected fish. The virus is inactivated in the birds’ gastrointestinal track and does not survive the birds’ high internal body temperature. The European strain of VHS can survive on the feathers or feet of birds feeding on a pile of infected fish or sitting in water containing the virus, so theoretically, a bird could move the virus to nearby waters. Practically, it would take repeated trips of birds from an infected lake to another water body to transfer enough virus to create the concentrations of virus necessary in the water to infect fish.
Friday Conference Call
Mike Staggs, DNR Fisheries Bureau Director, will hold a conference call with reporters on Friday, June 22, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. to give reporters a chance to follow-up on information contained in this Update. Interested media should contact DNR Spokesperson Erin Celello at (608) 264-6004 or erin.celello@wisconsin.gov for the call-in number and conference call code.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/news/or/#top
