VHSV Fish Disease Program Set for August 5 in Pulaski

Submitted article

On August 5th at 6:30pm at the Snow Memorial Building auditorium, N. Jefferson Street, Pulaski, New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Great Lakes Fisheries Specialist David B. Mac Neill and Salmon River Steward Stacy Furgal will present information on VSHV. VHS stands for Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, a viral disease in fish.

Mac Neill and Furgal will present information on the past, present and future of VHSV in local waters. Anglers have reported dead fish of various important sportfishing species on Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River.

Although VHSV cannot infect or cause disease in humans or other warm-blooded animals, the virus does present a challenge for fisheries management because of the many unanswered questions regarding how VHS will impact Great Lakes fishery resources. At the August 5th program in Pulaski, Mac Neill and Furgal will explore those questions and how New York Sea Grant, the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Steward and Salmon River Steward Program, and Cornell researchers are working to educate the public and find answers for dealing with the disease.

The August 5th program will also address how boaters and anglers can help prevent the spread of VHS. For more information and to register for the program, contact Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Steward and Salmon River Steward Program Coordinator Mary Penney at 315-312-3042.

Print this entry