The recent fish kill on Skaneateles Lake reported at the north end of the lake was caused by a fish bacteria probably brought on by the rapidly warming water in the lake or some other stress, according to a Cornell University professor. Paul Bowser, professor of aquatic animal medicine at Cornell University’s school of veterinary medicine, said his lab...
View full sizeDead fish lie on shore beside the Skaneateles Village Pier at the north end of Skaneateles Lake while a dozen or so others decay nearby underwater on Wednesday.The recent fish kill on Skaneateles Lake reported at the north end of the lake was caused by a fish bacteria probably brought on by the rapidly warming water in the lake or some other stress, according to a Cornell University professor.
Paul Bowser, professor of aquatic animal medicine at Cornell University’s school of veterinary medicine, said his lab examined a sampling of dead rock bass, smallmouth bass and perch collected by state Department of Environmental Conservation officials.
“Our test results show the fish were infected with a bacterial fish pathogen that we commonly refer to as 'fununculosis bacterium,'” he said. “It’s a bacteria that we commonly think of as affecting trout and salmon, but it can infect other species as well.”
The Cornell professor noted at this time of year fish are particularly stressed, especially when they’re spawning.
» Previous coverage: DEC investigates report of 'fish kill' on Skaneateles Lake
Bowser said the fish kill should present no concerns in regard to eating other fish out of the lake or for those drinking the lake’s water. Skaneateles Lake supplies drinking water to the city of Syracuse and a number of other communities.
He noted however, that anglers should follow the recommendations outlined in the DEC’s fishing guide, which instructs anglers to not eat fish that appear to be diseased or appear to be behaving strangely. He added, though, that this incident is not a cause for alarm.
“If I would go to Skaneateles Lake today and catch a fish and it appeared healthy,” he said. “I’d have no reservations about cooking and eating it.”
Bowser added, "the big sigh of relief is that it’s not VHS," referring to a deadly fish virus responsible for a massive fish kill on the lake in 2007.
That disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, causes fish to hemorrhage and destroys the organs that make blood cells. The virus had been identified in 20 freshwater species and has resulted at times in large fish kills, primarily in the Great Lakes. The virus presents no health risk to humans, officials said.
In 2007, Skaneateles Lake, hundreds of dead rock bass and smallmouth bass infected with VHS either floated to the surface or stayed on the bottom. A single lake trout, turned in by an angler, also tested positive.
In addition to Skaneateles Lake, the virus was detected that year in the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, in gobies and other fish in Lake Ontario and in a rainbow trout from the Little Salmon River (a tributary to Lake Ontario). The year before, there was a sizable walleye fish kill on Conesus Lake.
The DEC responded back then by implementing a series of restrictions in regard to the use and transporting of baitfish from one waterway to another. Since that time, there's been no local incidents of VHS reported.