SEATTLE, April 30 (UPI) -- Scientists fear a virus that is killing fish in the Great Lakes could endanger freshwater fish elsewhere in the United States.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia kills fish in much the same way as the virus that has decimated elm trees in the United States. said Jim Winton, chief of fish health at the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle.
"VHS is the most important and dangerous fish viruses known worldwide," Winton said. "Its discovery in our fresh water is ... potentially catastrophic."
The virus resulted in large fish kills last year that struck at least 20 species in the Great Lakes, USA Today reported Monday. Scientists fear the disease will return this summer when water in the lakes warms, Winton said.
The United States and Canada are restricting the transport of fish and live bait and having boaters wash their boats when moving them between the Great Lakes. In addition, Michigan has closed hatcheries that produce three important sport fish: walleye, northern pike and muskellunge.
The virus likely originated in the Atlantic Ocean, near New Brunswick, Canada, near the start of the St. Lawrence River shipping route that leads to the Great Lakes.
