Bill, Major Concern here

[jeffg]

Bill,
THis is a reply for Rod, and i thought you should see it.

Caught mostly all browns and 2 rainbows that now I wish I would have kept. THe rainbows scared me. They seemed to have something I havent seen in this state. They looked liked victims of whirling disease. THey had the stunted tail section below the dorsal fin and no extended tail as normal. THeir tails were also cocked off to one side. I kick myself now for not keeping them to show to a fisheries biologist. But I wasnt thinking. IT hit me on the drive home that those fish resembled ones I caught on the Madison that were inflicted with that disease.

That is the last thing ga trout fishing needs is whirling disease.

Bill, this is the 2nd trip in a month and a half that I have caught rainbows at Island Ford that looked like that. Once again, being an idiot, i didnt keep any of them/

Is whirling disease in this state yet? Could someone inadvertantly brought in the disease on the felt on their boots?
Are there any reported cases of it in Georgia yet??

[Bill Couch]

Jeffg,

To my knowledge there have been no reported cases of Whirling Disease (WD) in Georgia, and we do not currently believe it is here. However, DNR staff are concerned about the disease and hysteria that accompanies it.

While there have been no reports of WD in Georgia, DNR wants to be as sure as possible it isn't here, and to make sure it stays out. To that end, DNR and USFWS are collecting wild fish for disease diagnosis in the near future. DNR has also become very cautious about importing fish and eggs. Currently, we will not get eggs or fish from hatcheries that have a "HISTORY" of WD. Although this doesn't guarantee we won't get WD, it reduces our chances.

I would also guard against the WD hysteria. The best course of action is to work from a complete set of information. WD is many times more likely to cause noticable problems in Georgia hatcheries than in the river. It has not been identified in other southern states bordering Georgia, and requires a secondary host. Because the hatchery and no other adjacent states seem to have the disease, it is unlikely we have it here. Additionlly, prior trout importing policies were not sensitive to disease distribution, and it is likely that WD was imported in the past, but that the secondary host probably doesn't live here, so the disease wasn't established.

I suspect you are noticing the effects of some other agent. Georgia stocks over 1,000,000 hatchery raised fish annually. Hatchery trout are very subject to diseases, inbreeding, physical, and chemical traumas, all of which can scar fish. Many of the fish we catch have signs similar to those you describe.

I'll be glad to look at fish anyone feels are suspect for WD or other diseases. We've never seen WD and cannot diagnosis it, but its very likely we can determine if fish are symptomatic. My work phone is (770 781 6888).

Bill C

[jeffg]

Bill,
Next time I fish at Island Ford..IF i catch another one of those rainbows I will kill, and bring it in for you.

[The Ole Man]

Bill:
While we're on the subject, I've caught some crappie from a small (25 acre) creek fed private lake last couple of years and a few of those were goggle eyed. Their eyeballs were bulging from their head. Are you familiar with this and whats causing it?

[Bill Couch]

Ole man,
Pop-eye or "exopthalmia" (I may have spelled it right) is a condition caused by a number of bacterial infections and gas bubble disease (and possibly other environmental factors).

The capillaries behind fish eyes are a prime site for bacteria growth. When they become infected the eyes are forced out of the socket. Many times the fish become blinded or die as a result.

Bill

[jam]

Bill -

Is this anything to be concerned about - safety wise? I may try that lake that The Ole Man is talking about.


Ole Man -

If it's the lake I'm thinking of, maybe too much beer from the Budweiser plant?? http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

[Bill Couch]

Pop-eye,

I cannot give a definitive answer, but I would be comfortable eating the fish if they look healthy otherwise.

Gas supersaturation problems might also be detected if you can see a gas bubble in the center of the eye. If the lake isn't fished frequently, crowding might cause fish to be stressed and diseased. I cannot think of diseased caused by pollutants, but it is not out of the question. If the fish look healthy otherwise, and other fish look healthy, they are probably eatable.
Bill