DEC ANNOUNCES INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS ON FRESHWATER FISH VIRU

[KING ME]

DEC ANNOUNCES INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS ON FRESHWATER FISH VIRUS -VIRAL

HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation today

announced the dates and sites for public informational meetings to be held

about Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). The virus is a pathogen of fish

and does not pose any threat to public health.

Relatively common in continental Europe and Japan, prior to 2003 the

disease was limited in North America to marine species in the Atlantic and

Pacific Oceans. In freshwater, VHS had been associated primarily with trout

and salmon. In 2005, a new strain of VHS was determined to be the cause of a

kill of freshwater drum and round goby in Lake Ontario*s Bay of Quinte

(Ontario, Canada) and muskellunge in Michigan waters of Lake St. Clair.

This same strain of VHS has now been confirmed in a number of non-salmonid

species in Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, the Niagara River, Lake

Erie and Conesus Lake in New York State. It has been linked to kills of

round goby in Lake Ontario and muskellunge, burbot and round goby in the

St. Lawrence River. It has also been linked to a die-off of walleye in

Conesus Lake.

At the public informational meetings, DEC staff will provide

information on VHS, describe the federal and New York State actions taken in

response to confirming the presence of VHS in New York waters and others in

the Great Lakes system, and answer questions. Meeting attendees will have

the opportunity to offer their thoughts, perspectives and viewpoints.

Due to the potential adverse effects of this disease to fish

populations and the desire to prevent or delay its spread to other states,

in October 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a federal order

prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and

Quebec and interstate movement of the same species from eight states

bordering the Great Lakes. On November 14, 2006, APHIS issued an amended

federal order which allowed for movement of live fish under specific

circumstances. Subsequent to those federal actions, on November 21, 2006,

DEC filed emergency regulations to help prevent the spread of VHS to

additional waters within New York State which:

1. Prohibits the commercial collection of bait fish from waters of the

State where VHS has been detected. The rule amends State regulations by

removing certain waters impacted by VHS from the list of specially

designated waters that allow bait fish to be taken for commercial purposes.

2. Limits the personal possession and use of bait fish. The rule limits

the number of bait fish that may be possessed to a total of 100, as well as

restricts the use of bait fish for personal use to the specific water from

which it was collected. This rule does not pertain to the possession of bait

fish in the Marine District; and

3. Requires live fish destined for release into the waters of the State

to be inspected by certified professionals and be certified to be free of

VHS and other serious fish diseases. The rule prohibits the placement of

live fish into the waters of the State (including possessing, importing and

transporting live fish for purposes of placing them into the waters of the

State) unless accompanied by a fish health inspection report issued within

the previous 12 months. For all species of freshwater fish, a fish health

inspection report shall certify that the fish are free of VHS, Furunculosis,

Enteric Red Mouth, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus, Spring Viremia of

Carp Virus, and Heterosporis. For salmon and trout, the fish health reports

must also certify that the fish are free of Whirling Disease, Bacterial

Kidney Disease, and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHN). The fish

health reports must be issued by an independent, qualified inspector, as

well as conform with specific testing methods and procedures.

In addition to enacting emergency regulatory measures, DEC has

proposed a permanent rulemaking that is available for public comment until

January 22, 2007. Formal public comments on the draft regulation will not

be accepted during the informational meetings. The informational sessions

(schedule attached) are not part of the formal rulemaking process nor for

the purposes of formally receiving public comment on the proposed

rulemaking. The draft rulemaking is available at

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/propregs/ on the DEC website.

Public comments can be submitted to DEC by writing to: Shaun Keeler, NYSDEC,

625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4750; or by calling DEC at (518) 402-8920.

The schedule for the VHS informational sessions is as follows:

City DEC Region Meeting Site Date

Buffalo 9 Woodlawn Beach State Park , Route 5, Town of Hamburg, NY

January 8, 2007

7:00 to 9:00 PM

Waterloo 8 Holiday Inn, 2468 Rt 414, Waterloo, NY January 3, 2007

Sessions at 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Chenango Bridge 7 Chenango Valley High School, Chenango Bridge, NY.

January 8, 2007,

7:00 to 9:00 PM

Watertown 6 State Office Building,

1st floor Conference Room, 317 Washington Street, Watertown, NY 13601.

January 3, 2007

Meeting hours will be 4:00 to 7:00 PM [with a presentation at 4:00 & 6:00

PM.]

Mexico 7 Oswego County BOCES in Mexico, NY. Atrium Area

January 2, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Plattsburgh 5 SUNY Plattsburgh, NY , Angel College Center, Alumni

Room January 9, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Albany 4 Sovereign Best Western 1228 Western Avenue, Albany

January 9, 2007 7:00 to 9:00 PM

Yonkers - Lower Hudson Valley 3 Yonkers Riverfront Library Community

Room, One Larkin Center (at the foot of Dock Street and Buena Vista Avenue),

Yonkers January 9, 2007

6:00-7:30 PM

New Paltz 3 New Paltz High School Auditorium, South Putt Corners

Road, New Paltz

January 4, 2007 6:30-8:30 PM

[Jax]

I was just curious if anyone was going to attend? I would be game if we can find one thats good for my schedule.

[jimski2]

Will salted dead minnows be allowed as bait ?

[Sk8man]

I believe this question was posed some years back and the answer was only commercially prepared ones can be used and you have to have the packaging for proof.