The National Wild Fish Health Survey

 The Wild Fish Health Survey was established in the Midwest Region in 1997. Because pathogens have a negative impact on fish populations, there was a need for understanding the distribution and movement of these diseases. Subsequently the La Crosse Fish Health Center screens every year for bacterial, viral, and parasitic diseases at many sites throughout the Upper Midwest. The diseases screened for include Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus, Largemouth Bass Virus, Bacterial Kidney Disease, and Whirling Disease, among many others.

      A largemouth bass infected with Largemouth Bass Virus.(La Crosse Fish Health Center)

The La Crosse Fish Health Center relies on other federal, commercial, tribal and state agencies to assist with fish collection. Since 1997, over 27,000 wild fish, comprised of 76 fish species have been screened for disease.

      Eric Leis samples paddlefish for Southeastern Missouri as part of the Wild Fish Health Survey. (La Crosse Fish Health Center)

A La Crosse Fish Health Center biologist takes bacterial samples from lake herring that were captured in Lake Superior waters. (La Crosse Fish Health Center)

In cooperation with partners, the La Crosse Fish Health Center plays a leading role in surveillance programs for emerging invasive fish pathogens. Recent findings include the first isolation of Largemouth Bass Virus in the Great Lakes, the first isolation of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus in Lake Erie and Lake Michigan, the first isolation of Spring Viremia of Carp Virus in Illinois and the first observation of Asian tapeworm in the Midwest.