Fish-killing disease VHS confirmed in Cayuga Lake, first in Finger Lakes in decade

Leo Roth
Democrat and Chronicle
Round gobies are an invasive species that are well established in the Great Lakes Region and have become part of the food chain. Thousands of round gobies have died in Cayuga Lake from presence of deadly virus called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has confirmed the presence of a fish-killing virus in Cayuga Lake.

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) has killed thousands of round gobies in Cayuga Lake, which runs north-south between Seneca Falls and Ithaca. VHS, which poses no threat to humans, causes hemorrhaging of fish tissue and internal organs.

It has impacted fish populations in the Great Lakes and connecting waters since 2003. It was first documented in New York in 2006 and can be a persistent issue. It currently is responsible for an ongoing fish kill in Lake St. Clair, Michigan, and in western Lake Erie.

Cornell University confirmed VHS in Cayuga Lake samples collected in mid-May. DEC aquatic biologists said conditions in the lake were prime for VHS to develop, with water temperatures between 50 and 58 degrees most of the spring. Fish will continue to die until the water warms.

VHS hasn’t been linked to a fish kill in the Finger Lakes in almost a decade, DEC said, and this is the first case in Cayuga.

Cam Mathieu, a Hobart College student, checks for any invasive plants or animals that may have hitched a ride on a boat being pulled from Canandaigua Lake. The Finger Lakes Institute runs a program to prevent invasive species and fishes diseases from spreading to other bodies of water.

DEC officials are urging anglers and boaters using Cayuga Lake to be vigilant in following procedures aimed at containing the spread of VHS and invasive plant and animal species.

These include: observing bait fish regulations; not moving fish from one body of water to another; not disposing of fish carcasses in any body of water; and inspecting, draining, drying and disinfecting boats and gear before launching into another body of water.

The state regularly tests fish in 30 bodies of water for VHS and other diseases. Anglers can help monitor the health of fish populations by reporting any large number of dead or dying fish (100 or more) to their nearest DEC regional office or by calling the Fish Disease Control Unit in Rome at (315) 337-0910.

LROTH@Gannett.com