Charter captains weigh in on VHS in Lake Superior

[Spiel]

Charter captains weigh in on VHS in Lake Superior

 

 

February 9, 2010

News From 91.3 KUWS:

Mike Simonson / www.businessnorth.com

 

 

Some Lake Superior charter captains worry the DNR’s response to VHS in Lake Superior could be more detrimental than the virus itself. Joe Cadotte reports.

 

VHS was detected in Lake Superior last month.

 

Ashland Angler’s All charter Captain Roger Lapenter says he isn’t worried VHS will affect his business.

 

“All the other Lakes that they’ve found it in are surviving just fine. I don’t hear of people going out of business over it, that’s a positive thing.”

 

Star Kissed Charter Captain Charlie Maslanka believes Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia has been in Lake Superior for at least ten years.

 

“I believe it was here before what they said it was. I’ve had fish with that a long time ago that I thought. They have these blisters, and red eyes.”

 

Maslanka says if the virus was going to reap large fish kills it would have already. He believes the Department of Natural Resource’s effort to rid the great lakes of VHS does more harm than good.

 

“Because of the VHS in Lake Michigan, they didn’t want to put anymore plantage species, our eggs come out of Lake Michigan for our salmon, they quit planting salmon now for a couple years. We have a fishery that’s going to hell out there like crazy so we need all the help planting we can get.”

 

Bayfield On the Spot Charter Captain Jim Hudson says because of the presence of VHS in Lake Michigan, last year the DNR prohibited the stocking of brown trout in Lake Superior from Lake Michigan.

 

“The availability of brown trout have shown to grow very well in Lake Superior, we see less catches. Your yield of stocking of fish will be decreased. If we can’t stock them fish, and the right fish…yea my business in going to suffer.”

 

Hudson says inland lakes are more susceptible to VHS than Lake Superior.

 

“Inland waters are so contained. Those fish species could be more readily susceptible to bigger die offs because the volume of water and volume of area is smaller than the great lakes.”

 

Hudson says the best way to slow the spread of VHS is to regularly clean fishing equipment and boats with hot water or bleach.