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http://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2014/12/scientist_puzzled_about_whats_killing_steelhead_in_the_salmon_river_and_other_la.html
Pulaski, N.Y. -- Scientists and the state Department of Environmental Conservation have been puzzled by dead steelhead turning up on the banks of the Salmon River in Oswego County in recent weeks. There's also been anecdotal reports of the same thing happening in other Lake Ontario tributaries.
DEC received the first reports of steelhead swimming erratically during the third week of November. There were reports of only a few dead fish at that time, a DEC spokesperson said.
On Nov. 21, DEC staff submitted several dying fish for analysis by the Cornell Aquatic Animal Health Lab. Fish throughout the Salmon River are being affected, and there are anecdotal accounts that steelhead in other Lake Ontario tributaries are exhibiting the same behaviors, the DEC spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that while the DEC cannot assign any numbers as to the magnitude of this event, the department considers it "significant."
Steelhead come into the Salmon River each year on the tail end of the fall salmon run, feeding on the salmon eggs. They often remain in the waterway throughout the winter, spawn in the spring and then return to the lake.
Two distinct strains of steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) are stocked into Lake Ontario, according to the DEC. These are Washington (a winter run strain) and Skamania (a summer run strain). Both originally came from the State of Washington. All rainbow trout strains are native to Pacific coast watersheds of North America and Asia.
At this point, the only fish that seem to be affected are steelhead (the winter run strain).
Garrett Brancy, manger at the privately run Douglaston Salmon Run at the lower part of the river, said that for the past month, anglers along his stretch have been reporting incidents of steelhead dying and unnaturally swirling y near the surface of the river.
"One angler shared with me today that last Saturday he saw nine fish that were either dead or dying," he said. Brancy added that all the fish, either alive or dead, exhibited "more than usual amounts of (parasitic) gill lice."
"Don't know if there's a correlation. It's odd for sure," he added.
Ryan Miele, who works at Fat Nancy's Tackle Shop in Pulaski, said for the past month he's heard anglers talk about dead steelhead and witnessing them "swirling on the surface." He also noted he's hearing reports of large amounts of gill lice in the fish.
The DEC send dead fish samples to the Cornell Aquatic Animal Health Lab. Results to date are "inconclusive," the DEC spokesperson said.
Experts have speculated that a vitamin B deficiency is the cause, and that DEC has sent steelhead tissue samples to a U.S. Geological Survey lab in Pennsylvania for testing.
The spokesperson said DEC fisheries biologists have done work to inject several 'sick' fish with vitamin B, and another group with saline solution. If the fish that receive vitamin B live, and those that receive saline die, the DEC will be fairly confident of the cause.
The spokesperson said if a vitamin B deficiency is determined to be the cause, staff at the DEC hatchery along the Salmon River in Altmar should be able to inject enough fish captured outside Salmon River Hatchery, and then hold them in ponds for the annual spring egg-take.
There is nothing, the spokesperson said, that can be done to stop the ongoing mortality of wild fish on the Salmon River.
Brooks Robinson, public relations and social media manager for the Cortland Line Company, is a regular on the Salmon River.
"I've heard of (the dead steelhead) and I have also witnessed it," he said.
"In October, there were a ton of dead steelhead at the bottom of the Douglaston Salmon Run. You had spin and bait guys blaming fly fishermen, and fly fishermen blaming gear fishermen. It got ugly," Robinson said.
"The bottom line is there were (fewer) salmon to catch this year and the steelhead took a beating. They need to do some testing, which will take a little time.Until then, everyone has their own theory, but there is 100 percent something going on with their immune system and being caught multiple times isn't helping it."
Pulaski, N.Y. -- Scientists and the state Department of Environmental Conservation have been puzzled by dead steelhead turning up on the banks of the Salmon River in Oswego County in recent weeks. There's also been anecdotal reports of the same thing happening in other Lake Ontario tributaries.
DEC received the first reports of steelhead swimming erratically during the third week of November. There were reports of only a few dead fish at that time, a DEC spokesperson said.
On Nov. 21, DEC staff submitted several dying fish for analysis by the Cornell Aquatic Animal Health Lab. Fish throughout the Salmon River are being affected, and there are anecdotal accounts that steelhead in other Lake Ontario tributaries are exhibiting the same behaviors, the DEC spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that while the DEC cannot assign any numbers as to the magnitude of this event, the department considers it "significant."
Steelhead come into the Salmon River each year on the tail end of the fall salmon run, feeding on the salmon eggs. They often remain in the waterway throughout the winter, spawn in the spring and then return to the lake.
Two distinct strains of steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) are stocked into Lake Ontario, according to the DEC. These are Washington (a winter run strain) and Skamania (a summer run strain). Both originally came from the State of Washington. All rainbow trout strains are native to Pacific coast watersheds of North America and Asia.
At this point, the only fish that seem to be affected are steelhead (the winter run strain).
Garrett Brancy, manger at the privately run Douglaston Salmon Run at the lower part of the river, said that for the past month, anglers along his stretch have been reporting incidents of steelhead dying and unnaturally swirling y near the surface of the river.
"One angler shared with me today that last Saturday he saw nine fish that were either dead or dying," he said. Brancy added that all the fish, either alive or dead, exhibited "more than usual amounts of (parasitic) gill lice."
"Don't know if there's a correlation. It's odd for sure," he added.
Ryan Miele, who works at Fat Nancy's Tackle Shop in Pulaski, said for the past month he's heard anglers talk about dead steelhead and witnessing them "swirling on the surface." He also noted he's hearing reports of large amounts of gill lice in the fish.
The DEC send dead fish samples to the Cornell Aquatic Animal Health Lab. Results to date are "inconclusive," the DEC spokesperson said.
Experts have speculated that a vitamin B deficiency is the cause, and that DEC has sent steelhead tissue samples to a U.S. Geological Survey lab in Pennsylvania for testing.
The spokesperson said DEC fisheries biologists have done work to inject several 'sick' fish with vitamin B, and another group with saline solution. If the fish that receive vitamin B live, and those that receive saline die, the DEC will be fairly confident of the cause.
The spokesperson said if a vitamin B deficiency is determined to be the cause, staff at the DEC hatchery along the Salmon River in Altmar should be able to inject enough fish captured outside Salmon River Hatchery, and then hold them in ponds for the annual spring egg-take.
There is nothing, the spokesperson said, that can be done to stop the ongoing mortality of wild fish on the Salmon River.
Brooks Robinson, public relations and social media manager for the Cortland Line Company, is a regular on the Salmon River.
"I've heard of (the dead steelhead) and I have also witnessed it," he said.
"In October, there were a ton of dead steelhead at the bottom of the Douglaston Salmon Run. You had spin and bait guys blaming fly fishermen, and fly fishermen blaming gear fishermen. It got ugly," Robinson said.
"The bottom line is there were (fewer) salmon to catch this year and the steelhead took a beating. They need to do some testing, which will take a little time.Until then, everyone has their own theory, but there is 100 percent something going on with their immune system and being caught multiple times isn't helping it."
