Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia
(VHS)
VHS is a virus that affects freshwater and saltwater fish of all size and age ranges, but does not pose any threat to human health. It is an emerging disease in the Great Lakes area of the U.S. and Canada. VHS can cause hemorrhaging of fish tissue, including internal organs, and can kill infected fish. Once a fish is infected, there is no known cure. While not all infected fish develop the disease, they can carry and spread it to other fish.
VHS is responsible for fish kills in Lakes Michigan, Huron, Ontario, and Erie; Lake St. Clair in Michigan, as well as several inland lakes in Wisconsin and Michigan. In New York State, the St. Lawrence River, Skaneateles Lake, the Seneca-Cayuga Canal, Conesus Lake, and a private pond in Ronsomville have been fish kills attributed to VHS.
Species involved in fish kills linked to VHS include muskellunge, smallmouth bass, northern pike, freshwater drum, lake whitefish, gizzard shad, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, rock bass, white bass, redhorse sucker, round goby, burbot and walleye. Other freshwater fish species that have tested positive for VHS are chinook salmon, lake trout, rainbow trout, and common carp, as well as bluntnose minnows and emerald shiners.
VHS can be spread from one body of water to another through various means, including moving fish from one waterbody to another. This can be done by importation, stocking, or the use of bait fish. VHS can also be spread by natural fish movements, recreational boating and angling, ballast water discharge, and bird assistance.
DEC has implemented regulations to help prevent the spread of VHS in New York waters. Contact your local DEC office for up-to-date information.
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