deadly fish disease in two N.Y. lakes, Seneca and Cayuga

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=12525&cat=dis&lang=eng


Environmental officials say it's only a matter of time before the deadly fish disease called VHS is confirmed in Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. On Monday it was confirmed the disease was found in the channel connecting those lakes. As we spoke with Roy Bibbie, who’s been fishing in the Ithaca area all his life, he reeled in a fish. But this wasn't a normal looking catch. “Blood dripping from the anal fin of that fish. I’ve never seen anything quite like it and now that the story has come to light about the hemorrhaging I am concerned,” Bibbie is talking about the deadly fish virus called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, or VHS.

It was found last year in many waters across northwest New York. Since then the virus has been found in the Finger Lakes Region, its likely going to continue to spread. Experts at Cornell University, who test possible infected fish, say the disease causes hemorrhaging of fish tissues leaving blotches of blood on the body. Cornell researchers are continuously testing random waters as well as suspicious looking fish that are brought in by fishermen. They say there may be one big reason why the disease is spreading so fast. “Boaters, recreational users can catch fish from one lake and that may be infected and accidentally spread to another lake,” says Dr. James Casey, Professor of Virology at Cornell University. Bibbie can't say for sure whether the fish he caught has VHS, but he says the two lesions and the excessive blood on the fish didn't look normal. He also doesn't think the fish was in a fight. After inspecting the fish, Bibbie threw it back in the water.

“I will call the DEC tonight or tomorrow and tell them that I found something, at least ask,” says Bibbie. Officials with the Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, say if you decide to throw these fish back in the water; it's ok as long as you report it. Cornell researchers are continuously testing random waters as well as suspicious looking fish that are brought in by fishermen. They're even using a new tool that gets results in just two hours. “It'll be very fast and it's a great screen tool. There are three major labs in the United States that are using it. We are the ones that started it all. We can test say thousands of fish,” says Dr. Casey. Officials say VHS won't harm humans. The DEC is urging you to contact them at (585) 226 2466 if you catch a fish that appears to look abnormal.)
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darned if I would eat diseased fish

in the Potomac River the fish are becoming double sexed. male fish carrying eggs.