Fish virus threatens aquaculture industry

By HOLLY DRANKHAN
Capital News Service
LANSING – Although no fish with internal bleeding or bulging eyes have been reported by fish farms in Michigan or elsewhere in the Great Lakes region, symptoms of a highly contagious virus that has bruised the profits of many businesses. Federal regulation of viral hemorrhagic septicemia – or VHS – caused a business disruption years ago that some fish farmers say continues to haunt them, but aquaculturists hope new management methods can combat disease risks and help stabilize the fledgling industry. Since it was first detected in the region almost a decade ago, VHS has been found in wild fish in all five Great Lakes, Lake St. Clair, the St. Lawrence River and several area inland lakes, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.