Months after public concern over chemical spill harming fish, DNR confirms viral killer
Devi Shastri
OSHKOSH - Two months after a spill of an unknown amount of harmless white powder into Lake Winnebago coincided with a large fish die-off, researchers confirmed a virus as the true culprit.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus is a disease that can infect 25 species of fish in Wisconsin, including musky, walleye, yellow perch and northern pike, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The disease is not harmful to people who handle or eat their catch.
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Despite public concern that the titanium dioxide spilled into Lake Winnebago while battling a fire at the A.P. Nonweiler facility killed the fish in the area, reports of dead fish poured in to the DNR from around Lake Winnebago in late April. Titanium dioxide is a chemical used to whiten products such as paint and toothpaste.
The April viral outbreak was confined to Lake Winnebago, where hundreds of dead sheepshead and some common carp, yellow perch, bluegill, black crappie and largemouth bass washed up on shores around the lake, according to the DNR. The agency collected samples from Fond Du Lac, Oshkosh and High Cliff.
The virus's presence in Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago isn't new. The DNR has documented the bug for over a decade in those bodies of water. Kendall Kamke, a DNR fisheries supervisor in the Oshkosh area, said the virus is unlikely to have done major harm to the Winnebago fishery — this time.
"This time the fish kill was confined to mostly sheepshead on the big lake — next time we might not be so lucky," Kamke said. "VHS could affect our walleye when they are concentrated on the marshes during spawning. We can't get lax about following the safeguards."
The DNR is using the lesson to remind anglers and boaters of the importance of disinfecting boats and gear when traveling between bodies of water to avoid contaminating such diseases and invasive species. More information on boat transport and bait laws is available on the DNR's website.