Diseased Bass – Photo Series

John Griffiths has sent out to us a series of photos shared with him by Brian Brecka. Brian received these photos from Jeff Janvrin, Mississippi River Habitat Specialist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. There. I think I got that right. I hope so anyway.

The photos are from fish netted on 11-14-02 from Norwegian Lake and look to be affecting specimens from a number of different year classes. I hope I’m not over-stepping bounds here in any way by posting some of the included information that came along with the photos. Here that is… “Here are some photos of the diseased bass we are seeing in Norwegian Lake in Pool 10. Pictures are hard to do justice to the health of some of these fish. Many of them are “DEAD FISH SWIMMING”. Nearly 50% of the bigger bass had some fungus or red patch puss blotch (notice the technical language). Just downstream in Methodist Lake we only saw a minor outbreak of the disease.”

Many of these wounds look like ulcers of some kind. Not a good way to live out your last days and certainly a HUGE concern to all river anglers, regardless if you spend any time fishing for bass or not.

Thanks to John Griffiths for sharing these. Many if not most on the board wouldn’t even be aware of the existence of the problem if it wasn’t for the willingness of a few to spread the word and help educate anglers.

I have caught some bass with the marks such as in the fifth picture. Seemed healthy and lively when I caught them.

HERE IS MY REDNECK LOOK AT! MANY YEARS BACK 10 YEARS OR SO! NORTH OF LANSING ON POOL9 WE CAUGHT BASS THAT LOOKED JUST LIKE THAT OUT OF A AREA CALLED CONWAY LAKE! AS MANY WHO FISH THAT AREA KNOW YEARS OF SILT AND WEEDS MADE FISHING IT ALMOST A THING OF THE PAST! NOW ONLY IN REAL HIGH WATER CAN YOU GET THERE!
AS TIME WENT ON AND IT GOT SHALLOWER THE BASS WHERE LIVING IN 1 TO 2 FEET OF GIN CLEAR WATER! WITH THE HIGH SUN LIGHT AND ALL THE WEEDS GROWING IN THERE WE STARTED TO NOTE THE BASS HAD STARTED TO GET THOSE MARKS IN AREAS OF SHALLOW WATER! ALSO SEEN THOSE EELS ATTACHED TO SOME LEAVING SIMALAR MARK! BUT WE NOTED ONE BASS AROUND THE 4lbs THAT LIVED AROUND A LAY DOWN ALL SUMMER WITH SCARS AND WAS FINE AND SEEMED HEATHY AS WE CAUGHT HER 3 TIMES
IN THE SAME YEAR! ALL I KNOW IS I CATCH MORE OF THESE SCARED BASS ON POOL 10 & 9 IN SHALLOW WATER OR VERY NEAR SHALLOW AREAS! I ALSO SEE BASS WITH LARGE BLACK SPOTS EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE! ANY INSITE TO WHAT THAT MAY BE!

I’m no biologist, but it sure looks like bacteria to me. Maybe something growing in the warmer water. If we are lucky it will stay in the one lake…..

Sent out to us by Herb, as a follow-up to these photos.

ICK BASS FOUND IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Fisheries workers conducting routine autumn surveys have seen a number of largemouth bass with open wounds at over-wintering areas in Pools 10 and 11 on the Mississippi River. Overall, 22 percent of bass collected had skin lesions but infection rate was as high as 38 percent at some locations. Several diseased fish were sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Health Center in LaCrosse, Wis. Preliminary laboratory tests indicated that these fish suffered from a variety of bacterial ifections. The principle infectious agent was a bacterium called Aeromonas hydrophila but other bacteria were present (not all have been identified as of yet). In addition, virus testing also detected the presence of largemouth
bass virus (LMBV). This pathogen was detected earlier this summer on Pools 3 and 7 by the LaCrosse Center and it appears to be a new fish virus on the Mississippi River. LMBV has been previously detected in 17 states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. For nglers, eating fish infected with these organisms does not pose a known threat to human health. Largemouth bass virus has only been reported from cold-blooded animals (fish, reptiles and amphibians). However, anglers should heed common sense by properly cooking all fish and not consuming
dead or sick fish. In addition, they should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after fishing. he primary reason for this disease outbreak is probably due to
stress, said Scott Gritters, Iowa DNR fisheries biologist at Guttenberg. Stress can lower the fish’s natural defenses against disease. Bass living in the Mississippi River may encounter a variety of stressful conditions including poor water quality, repeated handling by anglers, long distance movements to overwintering areas and crowded conditions in backwater habitats. To survive the winter conditions in the Mississippi River, bass use lakes that
are too deep to freeze to the bottom and have little or no water current flowing through them. This type of backwater habitat is becoming very limited on the river due to siltation. Bass have been found to move up to eight miles to get to these high quality overwintering areas. In
addition, since these areas are so limited, thousands of fish crowd into them. Excessive crowding and movements elevate stress levels, weaken the immune system, and permit the rapid transmission of diseases among fish. Ice anglers who come across fish with lesions are asked to notify a local fisheries biologist. In this way, fisheries scientists can track this outbreak and document its impact on the Mississippi River fishery. Because diseased fish were collected within areas of the Upper Mississippi River
National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, fishery biologists are also working with refuge staff to document and seek solutions to this problem. For further information, contact Scott Gritters with the Iowa DNR 563-252-1156, Pat Short with the Wisconsin DNR 608-326-8818, Pam Thiel with the Fish and Wildlife Service 608-783-8431, or John Lindell with the refuge office 563-873-3423.

Thanks for sending this out Herb.

While ice fishing I have caught numerous fish with red lesions on them on Pool 10. Some of the backwaters I have been fishing seem to have a very large concentration of fish judging by the tip up action as well as anglers catching them while fishing for panfish. If overcrowding is a major contributing factor in these diseases it will be interesting to see if the 14 inch size limit is done away with. It seems to me that it would be more beneficial if some of the 10 to 12 inchers ended up in a frying pan instead of contributing to the spread of a disease.

Please don’t misunderstand me about the above comment. I believe in Catch and Release and practice it, but, if overcrowding is a major factor in this disease how else can you control the population. I mention 10 to 12 inchers only because IMO they are good to eat while bass over 14 inches taste like #*&@. I base this observation on my younger years when we could eat them for those wondering if I was eating illegal fish.

The real long-term solution would be for the corp. to do some work on the backwaters to restore more wintering areas. In the short-term, thinning the pops. might relieve the overcrowding but the source of the problem is degradation of habitat.

I agree with James. The sooner the Corps starts helping habitat, and returning the river to the great fishery it once was and still can be, the better off for all anglers. Digging out the main channel for barge traffic shouldn’t be it’s only priority. In fact, it shouldn’t be its #1 priority.

No argument here on the long term benefits of dredging the backwaters but… what about the short term. My concern is if overcrowding is the culprit for this disease and this disease has the potential to kill alot of fish then hopefully the DNR will make the necessary rule changes to bring the population down. I would rather fish a smaller population of healthy bass than take the chance of having a major fish kill because of a disease from overcrowding.

If I understand this correctly, Because the wintering waters are silting in and becoming to shallow and crowded, could’nt this disease be spread to other fish that winter in the same waters along with panfish, baitfish or do the biologists know this is related to just bass?

A little off the subject but I wanted to add my two cents worth about what we as anglers, can do to reduce the stress in wintering fish. As Herb noted, stress contributes to the overall health of our fish population. Finding and migrating to suitable over-wintering areas is a form of stress to many of our bass populations. Fortunately, the upper pools of the Mississippi where I fish, have not experienced the problems documented on pools 10 and 11. I suspect the same problem will happen here as more siltation occurs.

As a member of a growing number of avid fall and early winter bass fisherman our success is dependant on finding migration routes to, and over-winter areas. One thing I see that bothers me is anglers putting fish in the livewell for a photo session. Frequently, the photo session is at the launch ramp at the end of the day. The problem is the fish have been moved and may not have enough time and energy to find their way to a suitable over-wintering area. This can result in the unintended death of some prime fish. I m sure none of us want that to happen, so lets be sure to release the fish right where they were caught.

Snakeyes,

I haven’t read up on eerything there is regarding this bass disease but from what I gather it seems to be mostly a bass specific problem. I’m guessing it’s probable to be transferable to other species but it appears that bass, for whatever reason, are the most susceptible to it. There’s lots of documentation regarding this condition throughout the bass world so I offer that up as a possible route to finding an answer to your question.

Somewhere along the line it seems this is associated with shallow water and / or siltations effect on the ecosystem??? Maybe I have consumed to much eggnog but I don’t recall seeing any scientific information concerning the 2.

The LMBV is in fact a problem that is not fully understood. I would imagine that it is similar to Wastings disease in that is has probably been around for many years. I can not conclude nor deny these mysteries however I can say unequivocally that we must keep open minds and not be so quick to say things like “it’s the siltation” . The solution will present itself to science soon I am certain.

As for other issues… There is another disease that is being found in carp similar to the LMBV. It came out of a lake in WI that during flooding spills into the Criox which in turn gets to all our waters. I suspect we will see its impacts in the next few years.
Jc

Perhaps it is the eggnog going to your head. The problem of siltation and the lack of good wintering holes that I was referring to was in regard to this new bacterial infection/lesions that’s being found on many bass in Pool 10. The LMBV is a whole different can of worms.

Let me get this straight. You are saying that the siltation is the most probable cause of the new bacterium being found in the wintering areas.

In a round about way I could agree with that.

Let me tell you a story,

I have a 2.5 year old boy who attends daycare. Every winter the bacteriam, viruses, and a conglomeration of unidentified germs find there way to our children. In recent weeks there have been reports of Scarlet fever for Pete sake. What I am saying is that when you get multiple organisms together they bring with them the ailments they have encountered along the way. In this regard I would assume that the limited wintering areas do indeed concentrate the fish increasing the likelihood that they will transmit there ailments to each other. So my next question to you is. Is the Daycare responsible for my sons ailments or is it the gathering of people in a confined geographic area such as a building or school.

I agree that I feel my tax dollars should be spent restoring backwater areas and such. In a perfect scenario I would remove the dams and let the mother nature control the habitat as she is much better qualified in regards to these solutions. Is less bass better? Maybe, I can’t answer that. I can say that siltation is a bad deal and I am very concerned but I can’t in clear conscious say that it is the cause of our problems. I suspect contaminates are to blame. The problems we are seeing have only been around for a short time is regards to how we measure time. I think that if we knew everything dumped into the river we would have a clear list of suspects.

Jc

ps.

Pass the eggnogg….

I am not much for eggnog but I am concerned about the conditions of bass and all fish in the Mississippi River. As previously stated in this and other threads, during the winter these animals are under a great deal of stress and their focus is on making it through to spring. I think that the condition of siltation in backwater areas is of concern for most fishermen. One thing to remember is that this siltation condition is a natural phenomenon that is called . It happens in all waterbodies over time. With respect to the Miss. River, I expect that the US Army Corps of Engineers has exacerbated the situation with their extensive channelization of the river. The natural flushing action during flood events has been changed and some of these backwaters have been doomed for many years.

If you consider the geomorphological changes that occur in a natural setting (i.e., no dams) you would see that these changes in backwater depth, condition and even existence are actually natural occurences. The river is a constantly changing environment and we are only seeing a small snapshot in time of these changes.

I think that habitat maintenence, especially overwintering habitat maintenence are of vital importance to many species including bass. Efforts by the Corps to enhance these critical habitats is needed but moreso I think we need to make sure that they are not just a quick fix like dredging that will only last a short time and a move to more long-term management that includes the periodic flushing of various backwaters to turn back the erosional clock so to speak on these areas. This can be done using water diversions, wingdams, etc. to allow river water to “erode” the deposited material downstream to another location as it would normally occur in a natural setting.

If we are going to attempt to replace Mother Nature in our management practices we should at least take some notes from her and learn about the processes that occur to modify the river landscape that invariably supply an adequate supply of shallow and deep water habitats. Albiet these habitats will change over time based on climactic conditions (flooding, droughts, etc.) but we will maintain the critical habitats needed for all the species in the river.

As far as pollution goes, I feel that the pollutant load of any large river has likely exceeded its capacity many, many years ago and this is another stress that the inhabitants of the river must deal with. We may be seeing that we have placed the straw that is breaking the camels back and the need for a fundamental change in management is long overdue. I am not preaching to the agencies here but rather to all of the readers of this thread that value this resource for a call to change our attitudes on the environment. Write your congressmen and let them know what you think. Public policy is made by the public and their input, the time is now to become active in this regard not next spring when all we think about is fishing.

I understand that this is natural but natural in our instance is not really accurate. In this case the dams dramatically increase the ageing process of our river. I clearly understand the aging process and if you look at each one if these pools you can see the change from an oligotrophic like state to a mesotrophic state. We both know these terms reference a lake system but in the same breath we can identify many of the same characteristics. In a free flowing river void of dams would clear out much of the backwater while at the same time make navigation all but impossible. The river has carved out a defined route which has controlled its direction for many years. Since the dams construction we have flooded many backwater areas creating more habitat than would have otherwise been available. These great lakes we created are now being reclaimed by mother nature. I am not sure the answer but I suspect altering current flow in areas would be a better solution to clearing out sediment and helping it downstream. This solution would be a massive undertaking but could still provide navigation for the shipping industry. Take pool 10 for instance. If we could open the spillway up I am confident it would create pathways throughout all of harpers. Obviously the rock needed to reinforce banks would put a dent in the rocky mountains but we have to start looking somewhere. Its back to that “ an ounce of prevention” quote. Dredging is a poor solution as I am noticing about 4 usable years out a dredge at best. I am not saying to stop but there has got to be a better alternative. Maybe a drawdown in summer while fish are able to use the main river to bring in heavy machinery and clear out backwater lakes while they are dry… There has got to be a better solution that moving mud around 20 yards at a pop.
My biggest fears are that along with the aging process we will see the effects on the fish. Mesotrophic waters in general have what are known as rough fish. Call them what you will but I will find it hard to fish a Gar, or a Bowfin tournament. –grin-
You will see that the populations of these fish are increasing considerably on the pools south of Dubuque. The northern pools are younger and the increase of smallmouth is a direct indication that the largemouth are having trouble finding adequate wintering areas.
Jc

There’s no doubt that siltation and it’s effect on wintering areas has contributed to this problem. But, it seems there must be more to this than that. Without knowing the rate of infection or how soon these lesions appear, without knowing if this is a bad situation that has gotten worse, etc., I don’t have an opinion as to the cause. Let’s hope for the best. I fish pools 9 and 10 weekly and a few things I have noticed over the last couple years has me wondering about the overall health of the pool 10 bass fishery.
In the last couple of years we have had one of the longest snow cover winters in history. We have had extended periods of high dirty water. It has been rough on this pool. Just prior to the 11-14-02 survey, the pool was high and dirty again. We haven’t had good water quality. In the Sny Magill bottoms, Norweigan gets pounded. Limited weed cover, easy to fish. Over pressured? Methodist, on the other hand, had large areas of pads with plenty of water under them. Not so easy to fish. Did it contribute to the stress on the Norweigan fish? I don’t profess to be the best bass fisherman on the river, but I have talked to several proven tournament fishermen about the pool and they have had similar results. Catch rates are way down the last two seasons. Pool 9 fish are healthier. Heavier fish. Does this have something to do with Team Supreme and Bass World Sports abandoning Pool 10. Maybe.
If overcrowding was the main reason for these sick bass, why didn’t it show up when populations were seemingly higher? More stress due to water conditions? We all know there are more bassers today, with more knowledge and more equipment, plus every other pontoon you see has a spinnerbait hanging over the side. Do we as anglers contribute to the spread by handling one fish that is infected and passing it to the next one we catch? Was the fish that started the problem in Norweigan a local fish or one that moved there to winter? Who knows? Just seems to me there are alot of things that may have contributed to this problem.
By the way, I can’t see any logic in loosening regulations to further pressure an already stressed population. Tell fishermen to only take the sick ones? I’m afraid you’d see the ice littered with 12 inch bass. I think it’s a terrible shame to waste such a wonderful little animal by pulling it through a hole in the ice in the first place. What a waste.

I have fished pool 10 for bass every weekend in the summer for the last five some years. I feel this past summer I caught the most keeper size bass than other years, when I say keeper I don’t keep them for the pan. I mean bass in the 14-17 inch range with some over that mark as well.
I did notice this summer that my catch of smaller bass was down, good thing now, but out look for the future i don’t know.
I am doing a research project on this for school and am doing interviews with U.S. Fish and Wildlife people, so when I am done with my report I will post it for all to see and read.
As for the tournaments not in Prairie anymore, I don’t think that is true. I think there are other reasons for that such as sponsors, permits and rotations of schdules.

Bassboy,
I would unequivocally say that your success is based wholly on your abilities as an angler as I have first hand seen the pools decline in both numbers and size. I would guess 3 years ago was the turning point I can most identify with. I have also noticed that pool 11 and 12 are actually doing better than in previous years and the only thing I can attribute this to is limited fishing pressure. In comparison it is seldom fished. I agree with the statements about fishing wintering fish. I feel this added stress can only hurt the fishery. I have first hand seen people in duck lake using tip-ups and removing some if the biggest bass I have seen on the river. Tournaments are bitter sweet for me. I am an avid tournament fisherman and enjoy this more than almost anything else. I know that we are causing stress on these fish but at the same time we are putting them back to hopefully survive. I am sure that the other tournament angles of like mind understand that if we were to keep all our catch we would make a significant dent on the bass population. These questions blur my ability to do what’s right vs. what I love. Like everyone else I want my cake and be able to eat it to.

I put faith in our scientists to make accurate recommendations and that these recommendations will be put into action. Locally we pay millions of dollars to be able to fish and I hope that some of that money makes it back to benefit us directly. At this point a little prayer is order as well.
Happy New Year all!!
Jc

I fish Pool 10 alot, mostly from the Wisconsin River on down and I believe that the bass numbers are as high as I’ve ever seen them. I would agree though that their doesn’t seem to be as many 4 pound plus fish as their used to be. I also hate to see the bigger bass fall prey to the tip-up fisherman but let’s face it, with the size limit at 14 inches those are the only ones that someone who chooses to eat bass can catch. The numbers still must be fairly high as the crappie fisherman are still complaining about the “green carp” screwing up their fishing!

Guys – and any Ladies that may be looking,

Brian Brecka, WI DNR sent me this news release on the diseased bass – the original topic I started a while ago. Very informative.

News Release

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
West Central Region Headquarters – Eau Claire
PO Box 4001 Eau Claire, WI 54702-4001
Phone: (715) 839-3700 TDD: (715) 839-2786
For Release: December 13, 2002

Contact(s): Pat Short, Fisheries Biologist, Wisconsin DNR, 608-326-8818;
Scott Gritters, Fisheries Biologist, Iowa DNR, 563-252-1156;
Pam Thiel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 608-783-8431;
Upper Mississippi Refuge, McGregor Office, 563-873-3423

Bass virus in Mississippi Pools 10 and 11
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Iowa and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists are coordinating efforts to learn more about numerous largemouth bass with lesions and sores discovered during routine sampling of fish over-wintering areas in Pools 10 and 11 on the Mississippi River. While some backwater areas had no affected fish in some sections infection was as high as 38 percent.

Several diseased fish have been examined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service LaCrosse Fish Health Center in LaCrosse, WI. Lab results indicated that these fish suffered from a host of bacterial infections. The principle bacterial agent is a bacterium called Aeromonas hydrophila. In addition, a few bass did have largemouth bass virus, a pathogen never before detected in this area. Both these organisms are known to cause problems when fish are excessively stressed.

For anglers, eating fish from the Mississippi River does not pose a threat to human health. Bacteria A. hydrophila can infect people, according to Sue Marcquenski, a Department of Natural Resources fish health specialist. She explained that it is a fairly common infection in commercial fishermen and usually enters through open cuts or sores on the hand. Anglers should heed common sense when encountering dead or sick fish. Sick or dead fish should not be used for human consumption. Washing hands with soap and water at the end of the day also is a recommended preventive practice if sick fish are encountered.

The primary reason these bass became ill is unknown. Stress lowers the natural defenses of fish and allows opportunistic infections such as these a chance to gain a foothold. Bass living in the Mississippi face many causes of potential stress such as poor water quality, repeated handling by anglers, long distance overwintering movements and crowded conditions in backwater habitat.

To survive the winter conditions in the Mississippi River, bass use lakes that are too deep to freeze to the bottom and have little or no water current flowing through them. This type of backwater habitat is becoming very limited on the river due to siltation. Bass have been found to move eight miles to get to these high quality overwintering areas. In addition, since these areas are so limited, thousands of fish crowd into them. Crowding and movements elevate stress levels, weaken the immune system, and permit the rapid transmission of diseases among fish.

The bacterial sickness was also found in a few bluegills and a similar fish called warmouth but infection rates were much lower. Ice anglers who come across fish with lesions are asked to notify a local fisheries biologist. In this way, fisheries scientists can track this outbreak and document its impact on the Mississippi River fishery. Because diseased fish were collected within areas of the Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, fishery biologists are working with Refuge staff to document and seek solutions to this problem.

For further information, please contact Scott Gritters, fisheries biologist, Iowa DNR, 563-252-1156; Pat Short, fisheries biologist, Wisconsin DNR, 608-326-8818; Pam Thiel, biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 608-783-8431; or the Upper Mississippi Refuge, McGregor Office, 563-873-3423.

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The following counties are in the West Central Region: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, St. Croix, Trempealeau, Vernon, Wood.

The public affairs manager for the DNR West Central Region is: Dave Weitz (phone – (715) 839-3715.

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Red Champion, it looks like the disease is still around. I was ice fishing north of Bagley today on Pool 10 and noticed one of those red sores about the size of half dollar on a bass a guy caught on a tip-up. I have not seen these sores on the smaller bass that have been caught lately though.