Effort to prevent spread of VHS fish disease, invasive species to increase over July Fourth weekend

MADISON – At popular shore fishing locations and boat landings this Fourth of July holiday, conservation wardens and paid and volunteer watercraft inspectors will be making sure that people take all of the steps necessary to stop the spread of the VHS fish disease in Wisconsin waters.

“The vast majority of anglers and boaters are doing a great job taking the prevention steps, but some anglers are not and we all need to do our part and make sure we take all of the steps,” says Randy Stark, Wisconsin’s Chief Conservation Warden.

Some anglers are leaving their shore fishing spot or boat landing with a bucketful or cooler full of water and the fish they caught earlier in the day, a violation of VHS rules, Stark says. Such actions are the most common VHS violations reported this year by the DNR’s Water Guards, (Water Guards at Work -- video; 4.55 min.) -- specialized wardens focused on increasing awareness and enforcement of laws to prevent the spread of VHS, zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species.

And just last week, a DNR conservation warden cited an angler who transferred live fish from Lake Kegonsa in Dane County to Lake Leota in Rock County, in violation of state rules preventing the spread of VHS and longstanding state stocking rules.

“Whether anglers are fishing from a boat or from the shore, state law requires that when you leave, you do not take away the day’s catch in a bucket or cooler full of water,” Stark says. “Drain the water out and keep the fish in the empty bucket or throw the fish in a cooler of ice.”
Stark says that the conservation wardens and the Water Guard will be stepping up education efforts and taking enforcement action over the long holiday, “particularly when we see anglers leaving with a bucketful of water and fish from those Wisconsin lakes and rivers considered to be infected with VHS.”

Watercraft inspectors paid by the state and county, as well as volunteers trained through Wisconsin’s Clean Boats, Clean Waters (exit DNR) education and inspection program, also will be out at boat landings and shore fishing spots, educating anglers and boaters about the rules to prevent the spread of VHS and aquatic invasive species.

Conservation Warden Boyd Richter cited a 29-year-old Evansville man earlier this month after the man said he released five adult bluegills from Lake Kegonsa into Lake Leota despite knowing the action violated VHS rules. Richter, who was responding to a complaint left on DNR’s violation hotline, issued the man a citation for $1,133 for violating stocking rules, which Richter said more accurately reflected the man’s action and carried a higher bond than the VHS violation.

Mike Staggs, DNR’s fisheries director, says that transferring live fish and the water they’re carried in to another lake or river runs a serious risk of spreading VHS fish disease, other fish diseases and invasive species such as zebra mussels and spiny water fleas. It also can hurt stocking efforts and other efforts to manage a fishery.

“We understand the temptation of being a bait bucket biologist, but the risk is huge,” Staggs says.

“We need everybody to take the steps that will prevent VHS and other diseases and invasive species from spreading to new lakes and rivers. That includes not moving live fish, draining water from your boat and equipment, buying bait in Wisconsin and following rules for using leftover bait, and removing all plants, animals and mud your boat and trailer before leaving.”

A fall 2008 University of Wisconsin Badger Poll (exit DNR) shows that more than 90 percent of anglers and boaters were taking steps to inspect boats and remove plants and animals from them, and a slightly lower percentage said they were following the new bait rules. Only 58.6 percent said they never move live fish between different bodies of water.