Article from Lake George Association Newsletter, June/July 2007

VHS Alert!

VHS: No, it does not refer to old-school videocassette tapes. On the contrary, VHS is a disease that poses a serious threat to Lake George and other fisheries in New York State. Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is a viral fish disease that causes widespread fish mortalities. In 2006, it caused mortalities in waters such as Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and Conesus Lake. It was recently confirmed in Skaneateles Lake. VHS is spread through the introduction of infected fish into new waters, through fish stocking and the use of bait fish. It affects species of fish such as muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, bluegill and pumpkinseed. Because of VHS’s unusual nature of affecting so many types of fish and its obvious socio-economic consequences, measures have been taken in order to prevent its spread to Lake George. The NYS DEC has recently passed regulations surrounding bait fish in order to protect the waters of New York. From now on, only storebought certified bait, that is, bait that has been approved to be disease-free, will be allowed to be used for fishing. In addition, fishermen must also be able to provide a receipt upon request to prove their bait is purchased and certified. For more information regarding these new rules and regulations, please visit www.dec.ny.gov. Remember... Keep fishing great use certified bait!