Browns in the bow are infected!

[EastCoastFisherman]

Well today i went out fishing from 8am until 730 tonight and i must have seen about 8 browns full of fungas and also a couple browns 90% dead with a little life still left and they were also affected by this fungas. So there is deffintely a problem here beacuse i left 2 months ago for work and before i left the fish were healthy and now whatever has happen to the bow river has affected these browns with fungas but the weird part about this whole problem is that the rainbows look healthy without any concerns of fungas so if anyone could tell me why this has happen would be appechited.http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh519/Nicholson42/2012-10-17124821.jpg
http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh519/Nicholson42/2012-10-17112842.jpg
http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh519/Nicholson42/2012-10-17125452.jpg

[RavYak]

Another poster just commented on this as well. Having seen your closer up pictures I am pretty sure this is saprolegnia. It is a fungal infection primarily brought on in spawning due to the increased injuries and stress during this time.

SRD put the following together a couple years ago.

http://www.srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildlifeDiseases/documents/SaprolegniosisFactSheet-MAR-2010.pdf

[DiabeticKripple]

People have been noticing for a few days now. Seems to be more in the older, bigger fish

[waterninja]

if this happens every year during spawn then thats one thing. if this is something new then it seems strange. someone should bring a brown with this fungas to an srd office in calgary to get an answer. looks pretty ugly.

[RockHammer&Rod]

Ya it's sad to see such awesome fish die off!

[Lornce]

I've seen this off and on for quite a few years of fishing the Bow. All during or post spawn.

[goldscud]

Increased stress during spawning season leads to increased susceptibility to pathogens. That is a great reason to NOT fish for these browns in October. It only makes sense to give the fish a break at this time of year...especially if you would like to catch them next year.

[czoom]

Wow how sad. Not a good site to see Brownies half dead and full of Fungus.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Wow, never seen anything like that before. Poor fish.:(

[ryanheartssteelhead]

Increased stress during spawning season leads to increased susceptibility to pathogens. That is a great reason to NOT fish for these browns in October. It only makes sense to give the fish a break at this time of year...especially if you would like to catch them next year.

This is very important. I wish they would close the fishery for this time of year

[Jayhad]

This is very important. I wish they would close the fishery for this time of year

I wish we could have a closure inacted as well.... the fish need a break

[shredneck]

I wonder how the poachers feel about eating "zombie" infected fish??

[Buck Krazy]

Non native fish, if they die off brookies would probaly do well!

[Wild&Free]

Looks like salmon after the spawn before they choke up the banks with corpses.

[ReconWilly]

Looks like salmon after the spawn before they choke up the banks with corpses.

Yup.

[Daceminnow]

Wow, never seen anything like that before. Poor fish.:(


yes, you sure have.


http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=132203



these fish were caught and observed at the beginning of May this year between cottonwood and the HW confluence. at that time the rainbows were starting to run, but these browns were not. pretty ugly stuff.

Dace

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd450/daceminnow/IMG_3869.jpg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd450/daceminnow/IMG_3873.jpg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd450/daceminnow/IMG_3874-1.jpg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd450/daceminnow/IMG_3880.jpg
http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd450/daceminnow/IMG_3881.jpg

[Jimboy]

To much handling from catch and release , kissing fish , then saying thank you fish:thinking-006:

[Jimboy]

To many catch and release fanatics handling them , then kiss the fish and say thank you fish :thinking-006:

[Mutter87]

Wow, here I was wanting to get a Biology degree but now that Jimboy is here there is no need, seeing as he knows more about the biology of the brown trout then all of SRD I will just go to him for any of my future concerns.

Catch and release promotes trophy fishing and a continued strong population of fish for years. Keeping fishing promotes diminishing an already over pressurized fishing system.

[ice]

Wow, here I was wanting to get a Biology degree but now that Jimboy is here there is no need, seeing as he knows more about the biology of the brown trout then all of SRD I will just go to him for any of my future concerns.

Catch and release promotes trophy fishing and a continued strong population of fish for years. Keeping fishing promotes diminishing an already over pressurized fishing system.


Is this not common sence:snapoutofit:

[Wild&Free]

Is this not common sence:snapoutofit:

sense

[gilbertslake]

Another poster just commented on this as well. Having seen your closer up pictures I am pretty sure this is saprolegnia. It is a fungal infection primarily brought on in spawning due to the increased injuries and stress during this time.

SRD put the following together a couple years ago.

http://www.srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildlifeDiseases/documents/SaprolegniosisFactSheet-MAR-2010.pdf

It does look like Sarpolegnia. I saw a lot of salmon and seatrout in Scotland in the 1960's that were infected by sarpolegnia causing Ulcerative Dermal Necrosis.
My recollection is that it was only seen on spent fish (kelts) It seemed to be self limiting as it was almost completely gone from my local rivers within a couple of years.
I don't recall having seen it on river resident browns, only seatrout.

[Flyrod1970]

You see this every year, (although this year it does seem to be worse), it is just natures way of "culling the herd" so to speak. If you read the literature on this fungus it does not seem to be induced or made worse by fishing. All fish that are spawning should be left alone regardless of whether you see this fungus present or not. Trout don't live forever, and as they get older they become more susceptable to disease (especially during spawning) and most of the fish that I have seen seem to be older fish, maybe others have seen younger class browns with this. I don't think this is something to worry about, or start changing regs over. Leave the spawning browns alone and let nature take it's course.