Ohio Fish Clear Of VHS

Last Update: 8/21 5:10 pm

Web produced by: Tanya O'Rourke and Ian Preuth


Good news for those of you who worry about pollution in Ohio’s waterways.

Fish recently collected from 22 sites throughout Ohio tested negative for
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS).

Fish suffering from VHS can have hemorrhagingin internal organs, skin and
muscle. Bleeding can be visible in fish eyes, gill and the bases of fins.
Other symptoms can include darkened coloration, a bloated abdomen, bulging
eyes and lethargy or abnormal swimming and darting.

Members of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Reynoldsburg Office, the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
collected 170 susceptible fish at each location last fall and early this
spring.

Those times of year were chosen because VHS only survives in cold
conditions.

According to researchers, it’s also why VHS can’t harm humans and why the
public should not be concerned about eating apparently healthy fish caught
in Ohio.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story...0-61270466ca63