Hatchery destroys diseased Lahontan cutthroats
Thursday, Feb. 3, 2000 | 2:57 a.m.
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. - Hundreds of thousands of Lahontan cutthroat trout were destroyed at a federal fish hatchery Thursday in an attempt to rid the facility of a disease that destroys the endangered game fish's organs.
Biologists at the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery have been struggling since November to treat the fish afflicted with Furunculosis, a bacteria found naturally in northern Nevada watersheds.
"In the wild, the bacteria doesn't generally hurt the fish because it falls off their skin," said Randi Thompson, spokeswoman with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Reno.
But in the close confines at the hatchery, the disease spread quickly among the dense populations of the threatened species. Some 80,000 fish had died before Thursday's action.
"If left untreated, the bacteria attacks the fish's organs," Thompson said. "You can physically see sores on the skin."
The bacteria dies quickly without a host or when exposed to heat and poses no health threat to humans, she said.
About 300,000 fish were suffocated by an infusion of carbon dioxide pumped into shallow-water holding tanks. The carcasses were taken by Reno Rendering to be turned into fertilizer and feed, officials said.
Bob Williams, field supervisor of the Nevada office of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said efforts to treat the disease through medication failed largely because of the hatchery's recirculated water system.
"The fish are not responding to the medication primarily because we have to re-use about 65 percent of our water," Williams said. "The bacteria that is causing the disease continues to circulate in the system, reinfecting the fish."
Biologists don't know how the fish became infected, but theorize the bacteria was carried by birds from the east fork of the Carson River nearby.
The destroyed fish were supposed to be planted in Pyramid Lake north of Reno.
Hatchery officials hoped to salvage another 200,000 fish earmarked for Walker Lake near Hawthorne by treating them in a freshwater system.
About 100 other fish being studied as part of a Lahontan cutthroat recovery program were held in separate brood ponds and were not affected by the disease, Thompson said.
Elwood Lowery, director of the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe's fishery in Sutcliffe, said despite the problems at the federal hatchery, anglers shouldn't see a decrease in fish at the popular lake.
"We planted about a million last year and we have 200,000 fish on hand," he said. "There's plenty of fish in Pyramid Lake."
Lahontan cutthroat are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Though protected, they are allowed to be harvested by anglers because of hatchery production programs.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Trainers scuffle at Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto weigh-in
- Hooters reports loss, says Chapter 11 possible
- Live Blog: Pacquiao wins by TKO in round twelve
- Gaming Control Board recommends licensing of CityCenter
- Clubs want to be ‘good citizen,’ so stripper-mobile ends its run
- Police seek man who stole $2,000 worth of clothing
- Las Vegas club agrees to halt promotion featuring live dancers on truck
- Nuclear plant in Ely could complicate radioactive waste, water issues
- Manny Pacquiao says he feels stronger than ever
- Las Vegas Hilton reports wider loss in quarter
Blogs
The Kats Report
New face of Monte Carlo includes all the faces of Caliendo
The Greene Room
Predicting this weekend's Mountain West football slate (1 Comment)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
Top Chef Episode 11: Child's play
Miech Again
UNLV prez Smatresk is ready for some basketball (9 Comments)
Politics: The Early Line
Harry Reid's fourth TV ad begins running today
The Greene Room
Chad Ochocinco vs. Anderson Silva? That would be a sight ... (5 Comments)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: The three stages of chefdom
Calendar »
- 15 Sun
- 16 Mon
- 17 Tue
- 18 Wed
- 19 Thu
-
Actor's Expo at Rave Motion Pictures
Rave Motion Pictures Town Square 18 | 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
-
Lily Tomlin at the Hollywood Theatre
Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand
-
Neil Sedaka at the Orleans
Orleans Hotel-Casino
-
Supernatural Santana – A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint
The Joint
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati





