VHS in the Great Lakes and what this means for Idaho

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VHS in the Great Lakes and what this means for
Idaho

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

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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

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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

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Herring
Rainbow trout
Walleye
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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
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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

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VHS Susceptible Freshwater Species (revised Nov,
2007)

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

• 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

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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
3.7-5
2.1
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Great Lakes VHSHow 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 dont know how it got here

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Captive Wildlife Rules of IdahoProvide 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

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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