UNDIAGNOSED DIE OFF, FISH - USA: (MINNESOTA) CATFISH

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A ProMED-mail post

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International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: Wed 28 Jul 2010
Source: The Post-Bulletin [edited]



Only one Lake Zumbro channel catfish was found in good enough
condition Tuesday [27 Jul 2010] to be tested for what killed many
hundreds of other catfish there.

The Department of Natural Resources received several calls Monday [26
Jul 2010] about dead catfish, said Kevin Stauffer, area fisheries
supervisor. But a sampling crew couldn't find any fish fresh enough
for toxicology tests. On Tuesday, one was found, and it was to be sent
to a lab.

The DNR estimated that it found about 500 dead fish along the shore
Tuesday, but many more could have sunk, gone over the dam, or been
eaten by predators, Stauffer said.

Though it's a lot of fish, "this probably is not a huge percentage of
the population," he said. Dead fish ranged from 8 inches to 26 inches
[20-66 cm].

Because the only fish found dead in large amounts were channel
catfish, it would appear the source wasn't a chemical but some natural
disease or bacteria. They are always present, but sometimes warm water
or other factors will trigger them to begin killing fish, he said.
Such outbreaks are not uncommon, Stauffer said. One in 2007 killed
about 3000 white bass. The source was never found.

He said people who see a kill happening should call a DNR fisheries
office. Especially in summer, "time is important," Stauffer said. "The
sooner we get there, the more options we have to determine the cause."

The phone number for the Lake City DNR fisheries office is (651)
345-3365. The phone number for the Lanesboro office, which covers the
southern part of the region, is (507) 467-2442.

[Byline: John Weiss]

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail


[If only channel catfish are dying, then there is possibly a disease
affecting this particular species. If it were a toxin, it would affect
more species than just channel catfish. Also unusual warm waters would
affect more than just one species. Hopefully the cleanup crew will
soon find something fresh enough to test. - Mod.TG]

[For photo of a 19.5 pound channel catfish, see:

- Mod.JW]

[Lake Zumbro, in south eastern Minnesota can be seen via the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

[see also:
Undiagnosed die-off, fish - USA: (NC) 20100728.2532
Undiagnosed die-off, fish - USA: (PA, ID) corr. 20100718.2410
Undiagnosed die-off, fish - USA: (PA, ID) corr. 20100718.2409
Undiagnosed die-off, fish - USA (WA) natural causes 20100718.2408
Undiagnosed die-off, fish - USA: (HI) puffer fish 20100716.2384
Undiagnosed die-off, fish - USA: (PA, ID) 20100716.2373]
........................................tg/mj/jw
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