eurolarva
Rear Admiral
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2003
- Messages
- 4,182
They are calling it the Ebola of fish viruses. A deadly new virus is sweeping through fish populations in the eastern end of the Great Lakes. It is called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, or VHS. Wildlife experts say it has already affected 30 to 40 species and may be moving into Lake Superior. "It's virulent, it is highly contagious, it is lethal and it kills its victims by causing internal bleeding," said Curt Leitz, Izaak Walton League of America. Leitz said hundreds of tons of fish have washed up on the beaches of Lakes Erie and Ontario. The virus is spreading fast with its first detection just four years ago in Lake St. Clair. "If we allow it to get to the Twin Ports we will be a hot zone and the disease will spread," said Leitz. Experts expect the disease to hit the Twin Ports by the 2007 shipping season. It does not affect humans health-wise. But even so, conservationists worry about its environmental outcomes and economic impacts for the Twin Ports. "Who's going to walk on Park Point if we've hundreds of dead fish on the beach. No one is going to come fishing there, said Leitz." Scientists and conservationists say prevention is possible if the shipping industry regulated the treatment of ballast water. "The cost of doing it is about a third of a cent per gallon added to the cost of fuel for these ships," said Dr. Gary Glass, adjunct professor, UMD. There is no federal law that requires treatment of ballast water in vessels. Critics argue it would take years and a lot of money for sterilization to require capabilities in ships.