Does the plot thicken?

[Big Cliff]

I just heard from a well informed source tonight that the MNR has been doing some testing regarding killing zebra mussels. Apparently this was done in Scugog and a few other lakes in this area. Makes you wonder doesn't it? OFAH, any input?

Edited July 5, 2007 by Big Cliff

[Crazyhook]

the fact that th City of Lindsay had a carp " pick up day" for dead fish on the water was very scary. As a carp angler I am curious to hear what happened there...have not seen that many dead ones since the last white bucket tournament

[Beans]

That doesn't make sense Cliff...a number of carp were tested elsewhere and they were full of zebra mussels...not sure where I read this as I have been checking several local newspapers via "google " to keep abreast of the carp news...

 

I trust you are having your water tested...

[ccmtcanada]

That doesn't make sense Cliff...a number of carp were tested elsewhere and they were full of zebra mussels...not sure where I read this as I have been checking several local newspapers via "google " to keep abreast of the carp news...

 

I trust you are having your water tested...

 

Beans...I think I posted that....

 

Zebra mussel predation by common carp

F. Cronin, J. Tucker, D. Soergel

 

INHS researchers examined gut contents from 31 common carp collected at Mississippi River Mile 217 in August 1995 for evidence of predation on zebra mussels. We found between 1 and 407 zebra mussel beaks in 83.9% of the fish we examined. For all fish examined, common carp contained 118.2 beaks per fish or about 59 zebra mussels per fish. We found that large fish tend to prey more on larger zebra mussels than do small fish. These preliminary results clearly demonstrate the ability of the common carp to prey on zebra mussels. Considering that common carp are numerous in the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, they may have had an effect on zebra mussel demographics.

 

Sorry I didn't copy the net link, but at least I have the authors of the report.

[BITEME]

Not sure about how it effects fish but as a general rule of thumb out east(Southern shore of Nova Scotia) we never picked shell fish in months without an R in it maybe folk lore passed through the ages but strictly adhered to by all sort of an unwritten rule I was always told it had something to do with whatever they ate at the time was high in toxins and would make you very ill Just a thought since you mentioned they were full of Zebra mussels

[Joey]

Not sure about how it effects fish but as a general rule of thumb out east(Southern shore of Nova Scotia) we never picked shell fish in months without an R in it maybe folk lore passed through the ages but strictly adhered to by all sort of an unwritten rule I was always told it had something to do with whatever they ate at the time was high in toxins and would make you very ill Just a thought since you mentioned they were full of Zebra mussels

 

So you newf's purdy much can't pick them durn shellfish in Jurly then eh Pete!

 

Joey

[OhioFisherman]

A lake I fished in New York had a weed control problem, the state managed the lake and it had semi-limited public access. The some of the residents weren`t really happy with the job the state was doing to manage the weed problem and spread chemicals on top of what the state had done, on the sly, and there was a fish kill caused by it.

 

Carp are pretty tough, can handle water other fish can`t, don`t know what would cause a carp die off.

[Zamboni]

Carp die off caused by poisened zebra mussels or weed control makes sense if it was contained to Scugog-way its spread makes it seem more like a virus/bacteria in water now. Weed or Zebra mussel control in the Bog might flow downstream into Sturgeon but would have to be diluted by then?

 

I keep hearing the MNR testing rumours-have to believe they would have issued a public warning had they dumped something into Scugog and then carp started floating belly up. One guy in Port Perry is spreading rumour MNR tested/introduced a bacteria that kills zebra mussels....make a good sci fi movie but bad for property values

[lew]

I was fishing Quinte in May a couple years ago....2005 I believe.....and the entire area was littered with not only 100's of dead carp, but also as many dead sheephead, infact I've never seen anything like it before. I never did hear the final outcome but they seemed to think it was some sort of virus, but it didn't seem to have too bad of an effect on other species, infact Quinte continues to be one of the best fisheries anywhere, specially for those monster fall eyes.

 

There was also the massive number of muskies that died in St. Clair recentely but that area seems to be doing well again.

 

I haven't seen any sign of problems in the eastern Kawartha lakes sofar this year so hopefully it hasn't spread too far beyond and everything will bounce back to normal as happened in Quinte.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed anyways.....

[ccmtcanada]

Hey Lew....did a quick search on the net and came up with this and that Quinte die off you were mentioning....

 

"Viral hemorrhagic septicemia was first identified in 2005 after a die-off of fish in the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. The virus has now been found in more than 15 species of fish in the Great Lakes, including walleye and emerald shiner.

 

The disease does not affect humans--fish carrying the virus are safe to eat and handle, but the province warned there could be serious ecological, social and economic impacts if the virus continues to spread to Ontario's inland waters."

 

Source...http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070616/fish_die_off_070616/20070616?hub=TorontoHome

[lew]

Yup, that'd be the one Cliff, but I never realized it had affected the walleye too.

 

Scary stuff indeed.......

[Fishnfiend]

I thought that smallmouth ate Zebra mussels, too. Wouldn't some f them be floating?

[Flyboy]

You're probably thinking of gobies? They eat zebra mussels, along with the Sheepheads? The smallmouths in BOQ have adapted to the gobies as prey species, I believe. Therefore, die-off up the food chain is very possible.

 

Are there any gobies in Scugog/Sturgeon? If yes, there should also be a tell-tale die-off if the zebra mussel control measure was implemented. Sheepheads too.

[kemper]

Im gonna say that its a virus, carried in the water that for one reason or another is only affecting the coarse species. Maybe because of feeding habits? Who knows. It will probably go through the entire kawartha chain and if all it does is kill carp this really isnt a bad thing.

 

thats my optimistic outlook and im stickin to it!