Sunday July 20, 2008, 3:34 am
Sometimes called "fish Ebola". this disease can be spread from waterway waterway by fish, sport fishers and can survive with no host in the water for weeks. Ordinarily this is a disease that attacks saltwater fish, but was likely transported by a barge into the Great Lakes. It is not dangerous to humans, but could take a devastating toll of both wild fish and hatchery populations if it spreads into a far-ranging waterway like the Mississippi River. If the virus were to infect hatcheries, the financial toll could also be devastating.

The model of disease spread seems to me a symbol of rapid travel and our global environment. I imagine this is how human pandemics will begin.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 4:01 am
Noted with thanks Cate :) This is just the sort of thing that makes me realize how vulnerable our beloved planet is to our own carelessness.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 4:27 am
Thats awful,news..is this caused by mans neglect.So many different strains with upsetting natures fine balance,

noted with pleasure.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 4:45 am
Noted.Thank you,Cate

Sunday July 20, 2008, 5:07 am
Our waterways are extremely vulnerable. Here in Wisconsin we have strict rules. Boaters must drain all water from their boat, trailer, bilge. etc. There's also rules about bait, minnows, etc. We are struggling with VHS right now. This virus can live up to two weeks.

My friend in a limnologist and she discovered an invasive plant in one of the waterways that she monitors. Someone dumped their fish tank in the stream. How irresponsible.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 6:02 am
This is a scarey thing to happen.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 6:12 am
Noted..thanks Charles n Cate

Sunday July 20, 2008, 7:02 am
Noted, thanks Cate

Sunday July 20, 2008, 7:13 am
OFF TOPIC REMINDER - Please sign the petition for Julie,. If you have, thank you - share with your friends and groups. Justice for Julie

Sunday July 20, 2008, 7:43 am
Noted with a big TY Cate. p.s. Signed "Justice for Julie" on July 12...

Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:30 am
While this is certainly a scary situation for officials to have to monitor, perhaps one good thing will come out of it. Maybe, just maybe, this will show people how even something as little as not cleaning one's boat could cause an outbreak of a disease that could cause massive damage. You know not everyone cleaned their boat or stuck to the guidelines set forth to stop the spread of this but maybe people will listen now. It's a long shot but you never know.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:52 am
Noted. Another source of environmental danger and potential devastation of the already beleagured waterways. I have been raising my voice for some time that boat owners be required to take user courses that would include an environmental component before they can legally launch a boat. It is not uncommon to see people in the water cleaning their boat hulls and trailers, using harsh chemicals. Not surprising that we are 'tracking' viruses into our waterways...what happened to common sense?

Sunday July 20, 2008, 9:19 am
Noted and petition signed. Thanks, Cate.
And Ann, I hope so!

Sunday July 20, 2008, 9:29 am
AND IT'S GONNA GET WORSE IF SOMEONE WITH A BRAIN DOESN'T GET CONTROL OF OUR COUNTRY! THANKS CATE, YOUR NEWS IS ALWAYS GREAT.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 9:30 am
noted...it is amazing that we can eat anything at all and survive. Thanks

Sunday July 20, 2008, 9:31 am
this is what your soul will look like when the the garbage takes over/ disease

Sunday July 20, 2008, 10:24 am
Noted and unfortunately shipping is one of the ways many invasive species have gotten to our shores. It's happen in New York and spread an invasive crab all along the coasts of Northern Long Island and the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Don't know how much further it's spread. I happened to have a class doing a survey with a scientist and my class found the crab off the coast of Groton, CT. It was the first local discovery that the darn thing had spread to southeastern CT waters. Not a happy discovery.

This has been happening for generations with the ballast water from ships. I wish I knew a way of stopping it? Making all shipping vessels treat their ballast water with bleach????????

I'll be watching my fish.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 11:05 am
I've never owned a boat nor been on a ship but since moving to Connecticut I did have crabs. Thanx to the scientist survey above I now have solved this puzzle..

Sunday July 20, 2008, 11:06 am
And yes I have been to Groton!

Sunday July 20, 2008, 12:51 pm
Dolores...first I want to wish you well in Wisconsin in dealing with this awful virus. Im originally from North Dakota but moved down the Mississippi to Memphis Tn....This is yet another alert to we humans to care better for our world and I wonder if the virus is more rampant due to the warming of waters from global warming?

Sunday July 20, 2008, 1:12 pm
Noted If we don't be careful we are going to ruin our eco system.It starts with the fish and the products we use from the sea.What about medicines from sea life.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 2:16 pm
Damn, Bill, did you have vinegar instead of coffee for breakfast?

And don't forget, Nutmeggers, the frogs and snails native to Asia that now live in the Connecticut River, thanks to barges bringing them along and the goddamned CT Yankee nuclear plant hot-water discharges, that made the river water so hot these tropical species invaded and flourished.

Bill, I don't to hear a word about discharges.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 2:22 pm
LOL..Listen Cate, I plead the fifth or is it I drank the fifth? In any case I've been appointed Good Will Ambassador to the Naval Base at Groton.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 7:25 pm
thank you cate its a shame hurting the innocent fish

Monday July 21, 2008, 3:16 am
Thank you Cate! Despite not being of harm to human, eventually, this will harm us. ~

Monday July 21, 2008, 8:10 am
One problim with this, is that most fisherman don't believe that one little box of bait can do this much harm, they figure on the big fish eating the little fish and that will solve it. They don't seem to see that one or two of those little fish will grow up and reproduce and there you go with another big problem. And a lot of them don't take care of their boats either.

Monday July 21, 2008, 8:14 am
Oh I also forgot to ask if anyone has heard about them trying to find a use for these invasive species, like the Zebra Mussel, could they be processed into a fertilizer or something to offset the cost of removal or the invasive plant species could be processed into biofuel possibly. Anything that would give them value on removal.

Monday July 21, 2008, 8:51 am
Linda, wouldn't that be great? I didn't find anything out about that...maybe YOU should be the one to suggest it to Fish & Wildlife...