MADISON (NBC 26) — The largemouth bass virus has been detected in fish taken from the bay of Green Bay near Door County, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed Tuesday.
The DNR said 14 diseased smallmouth bass were collected from the waters surrounding Door County and examined by DNR fisheries staff in September. The fish had skin wounds that appeared red and varied in size and location. The DNR said these skin lesions often had a cream-colored layer of dead tissue in the center of the wound.
According to the DNR, since 2008, smallmouth bass displaying similar skin lesions have been sampled during several outbreaks in Lake Michigan and Green Bay waters. While test results from fish sampled during those episodes had been inconclusive, the DNR said the virus was detected in all 14 of the diseased fish sampled this year.
The DNR said the largemouth bass virus has been found throughout the Eastern United States and previously identified in Wisconsin’s Mississippi River Basin. The virus can cause weakness, abnormal swimming, swimbladder over-inflation, reddening and death in largemouth bass populations.
As for the 14 smallmouth bass, the DNR said little is definitively known about its ability to cause disease or death in the species. DNR staff will continue to monitor smallmouth bass populations.
Anglers are advised to drain all water from boats, motors, and all equipment, to not move live fish away from a waterbody, and to handle bass as quickly and gently as possible if they intend to release them. Recreational fishers are asked to target smallmouth bass during cooler weather to reduce the stress on fish and refrain from hauling fish in live wells unless fish are to be harvested.
Report smallmouth bass with skin lesions and dead or dying fish to local biologists or fish health staff.
While largemouth bass virus is not known to infect humans, the DNR urges anglers harvesting any fish to thoroughly cook their catch, never consume dead or dying fish and follow the Center for Disease Control’s food safety guidelines.
