Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Great, another Great Lakes Exotic!

Another reason to watch what fish you plant in your ponds! In the past I had taxidermy customers brag about planting Great Lakes smallmouth into their gravel pit ponds. Not a good Idea due to the VHS virus and this tapeworm. (And it's illegal).


12/22/08 by Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle

An outbreak of tapeworms in Lake Huron walleye has Michigan officials urging people to avoid eating sushi made with freshwater fish caught in the Great Lakes region.

The warning came as a Canadian researcher reported the first documented case of Asian fish tapeworms in Great Lakes fish.

David Marcogliese, a research scientist at Environment Canada's research station in Montreal, reported the discovery of Asian tapeworms in Lake Huron walleye in the most recent issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

The foreign tapeworm, the 186th invasive species documented in the Great Lakes, likely was imported to the region with infected bait fish, Marcogliese said in the article.

"This parasite is known to cause weight loss, anemia and mortality in young fishes," Marcogliese said.

Numerous anglers began reporting finding tapeworms in walleye caught in Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay, according to a Michigan Department of Natural Resources memo. Fish from some inland Michigan lakes also were infected with tapeworms, according to the DNR memo.

Some species of tapeworms are native to the Great Lakes fish. The discovery and proliferation of Asian fish tapeworms is a recent phenomenon that could harm walleye and other fish species, according to DNR officials and Marcogliese's research.

Researchers indicated the Asian fish tapeworm, one of the world's most pernicious invaders, will likely spread across the Great Lakes region. The tapeworm can grow to one-foot-long in large fish, such as carp, Marcogliese said.

DNR officials said it is safe to eat fish that have tapeworms, provided the fish are thoroughly cooked, smoked or pickled using normal food preparation techniques.

"We do not recommend making sushi from any species of freshwater fish as the risk to humans is not known," according to the DNR memo. "It is a very bad idea to eat any freshwater fish raw or poorly cooked as fish parasites use fish-eating mammals and birds as hosts and it is not known if humans can also be hosts."

Tapeworms are ubiquitous in waters where fish live, but the incidence of the parasites infecting fish has surged in the past two years, according to DNR officials. State officials said the problem may be due to changes at the base of the Great Lakes food chain caused by zebra and quagga mussels, two other invasive species.

Asian fish tapeworms were carried into the U.S. in the 1960s by federal officials who imported Asian carp to control algae in Arkansas fish ponds. The invader has since spread to lakes and rivers across much of North America, according to federal records.

The invasive tapeworms enter the fish food chain when zooplankton ingest the creatures and become hosts for the parasite. The tapeworms move up the food chain as zooplankton are eaten by small fish; the pests mature and produce eggs once in the intestinal tracts of walleye and other fish species.

Fish excrete tapeworm eggs in their feces. The eggs settle on lake bottoms, where zooplankton eat them and give rise to a new generation of the pests.

The mere sight of tapeworms can tarnish a fishing trip -- the creatures are known to slither out of the mouths and gills of dead fish.

To avoid finding a tapeworm in your fish cooler, DNR officials recommend gutting fish immediately after catching them and disposing of the entrails after returning to land. It is illegal to discard fish guts in Michigan waters.

That stinks. I'm sure it's too early to tell, but I wonder what kind of impact this could have on the fisheries up there. If Great Lakes fish survived 185 other invasive species, maybe this too shall pass...pun intended.

Cecil, Thanks for providing the new information. Since the Asian carp were the source and now inhabit some river systems in the US this is one more reason not to transport adult fish especialy from the wild to your pond. Since adult fish have been around longer, they are more likely to have been infected with some sort of parasites compared to younger fingerlings.

Yeah I'm having second thoughts about getting Pumpkinseeds from a local lake if that is what you referring to. However there is a treatment for tapeworms as long as they are not foodfish is there not?

I may have to get fingerlings from the domestic source in PA. But there's not guarantee his are not infected and I don't know the genetic history of his fish. Additionally for all I know his fish have a very small gene pool.

Decisions, decisions!

What kind of treatment are you referring to, Cecil?

It's used in small tanks for nonfood fish.

Praziquantel can be used to remove tapeworms from the intestinal tract (same treatment regimen as described in previous digeneans section) but will not eliminate those residing within the body cavity. Repeating treatment with praziquantel may be necessary to completely eradicate tapeworms.

"Praziquantel is the treatment of choice as a bath for three to six hours, dosed at 5 to 10 mg/L, repeated for three doses, with 30- to 70-percent water changes between dosing. This drug may also be dosed in food at 5 mg/kilogram of fish."

Thanks Cecil
It just sounds disgusting to me. Although the new legislation was upheld on appeal (Michigan law that ballast water has to be treated before releasing) and is a go now, the other states don't have such a law. In our little lakes we have 3 with zebra mussels now, they are making the water very clear, but the lakes are shallow so on comes the explosive weed growth. Aquashade isn't allowed any more for us, and the over 10 acres can't have die either. Hard to keep up, you know? Merry Christmas.

Sounds like Michigan to me. No grass carp, no hybrid stripers, no this, no that.

I helped sandbag in the floods of 93 on the Mississippi around Quincy, IL. Thanks to that flood, and the generally terrible idea of farming asian carp near said waters, we now have nasty tape worms in walleye in the great lakes.

On a similar note, a good friend of mine in Seattle Wa has been telling me stories about the "super salmon". Atlantic salmon cross-breeds that get out of farming cages in the pacific and out compete the native salmon, pollute the gene pool, and spread disease because their feed large doses of antibiotics.

What do you mean that aquashade is not allowed in michigan? I have not heard about that. I thought that it was a rather benign dye! Also, has anyone actually got word for certain that HSB are not legal in Mich?

Michfish:
It all depends on the size of your pond/lake, and if you have any outflow. Under ten acres, no outflow, you own the bottomlands yourself, then it is ok. I believe those are the conditions. I think it is a benign dye too, and think it is a good tool for small lake mgmt. I suppose if you really wanted it, you could do a "whole lake plan" at a hefty price and apply for it, although there wouldn't be any guarantee that if you went through those hoops that you would get it. I'm told it has something to do with the labeling of the product and the listed uses that has made the rules regarding it (that specific product) a no no.
People love that product and from what I found it is an all natural vegetable dye. Seems the diff. between that and the others is that it claims to block two spectrums of light (red-orange & blue-violet), while the others block only one.
It doesn't make sense to me that the criteria of 10 acres of surface water was chosen and the focus of depth of water was not considered. Why that is not allowed, and copper sulfate is allowed in our hard water lakes is something I don't understand.

Cecil, and others:

This may be a group to track and be involved in.

Invasive Species Management

Ken

"The Great Lakes shipping industry has partnered to explore ways to contain the movement of invasive species through ballast water for years."

Thanks Ken but the above statement is a white lie. I have to wonder how credible some of the other participants were. I see one was complaining about the fact that earthworms are not native to Minnesota.

I agree, the Great Lakes Shipping Association really doesn't give a hoot about invasive species except if there may be costs levied on them toward the control of exotic species that they have been bringing in for decades. They now are trying to "look" like the good guys. Their business is shipping and at the cheapest cost possible. They now are doing a little "marketing" to "us" to show that they care about the environment, just like the oil companies, chemical companies and our own government!!! The bottom line is money and Profit. Don't be fooled by their marketing.

Sorry about my going off on that subject, I do get carried away some times. Sooo anyway I just put 200 HSB in my Mich. farm pond this fall and I REALLY questioned the fish dealer about the legality of planting them. He assures me that it is legal and that they have planted them in many Michigan ponds.??? Anyone have any other facts to share?

This is a topic I sure would like to know a lot more about. I've done a lot of reading about it, and I have far more questions than I have answers. They say the worms came mainly from Europe, and they can move less than a 1/4 mile per year.

I find it hard to believe that there are not earth worms native to North America. Is it possible that worms could have infiltrated virtually every part of North America in the last 500 years?

As many of you know, I grew up around the shores of Lake Superior, in Northern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota. We had at least three kinds of worms up there:

Manure Worms. We had fat and mushy gray/pink worms that showed up in the chicken manure and cow manure. They were the worst of the worms for fish bait because they were soft and they died shortly after being put on a hook.

Field Worms. We had "field worms" that were medium sized dark red worm that was pretty hardy. They made great bluegill and trout bait. When my dad plowed the pastures, these were the worms he turned over. These sure looked a lot like the worms I now know as "red worms."

Night Crawlers. Lastly, we had the kings and queens of worms -- the night crawlers. In elementary and early high school, one of my cousins and I made a fair amount of money selling these critters. Today, they are sold as "Canadian Night Crawlers." On a rainy or misty evening we'd each go out with a flashlight and a 2-gallon galvanized pail. In about an hour, each of our buckets would be at least half full.

I had a lot of aunts and uncles spread throughout this region, so we had farms, homes, and great fishing over about a 75 mile radius of Duluth/Superior. As a kid in the 1950s, there was no place without abundant worms/night crawlers, except maybe for the sand dunes along Lake Superior.

I got drafted in 1969. As I traveled, I found similar worms in California, Maryland, and Virginia (I don't remember if we had worms in Hawaii). When I got out of the service in 1975, I moved to Virginia, where we had what I consider manure worms, field worms, and night crawlers. My in-laws are scattered all around New England, and they have the same worms. About ten years ago we moved to the West Virginia mountains. We've owned three properties here. I've not looked for night crawlers, but, manure worms and field worms sure seem to show up when organic material is piled up.

I guess I'm not convinced that worms are not native to North America.

I'd sure like to hear and learn a lot more about this.

Ken

IIRC, there were no native earthworms in North America in areas that experienced glaciation. Before European (and, presumably, southern North American ???) worm varieties were transplanted into these areas by man, the earthworm ecological niche - burrowing and eating decaying material - were performed by ants. I suppose pre-ice age ants were wiped out by the glaciers as well, but with a winged phase in young pre-breeding adults, ants can spread back into thawed areas much faster than worms.

I'll see what I can find out from a fish farmer in Michigan and get back to you. I was pretty sure, at least at one time, hybrid striped bass were not legal in Michigan. Perhaps that has changed?

Hi All:
I know that Tiger Muskie are legal in Michigan. Why would HSB not be?
Hopefully here is some information that may be helpful to people in Michigan looking for such information: these are numbers of fish farms that can answer your questions: Michigan: 810-724-2185, and 920-668-6385 - Wisconsin.
For anyone living in Oakland County Michigan there is a free magazine to waterfront owners call Oakland Lakefront. This publication is primarily a real estate magazine of waterfront properties, however they do some terrific articles on all things happening in the State of Michigan regarding regulations, the MDEQ and the DNR, water levels, invasive species, studies of all sorts, and things like articles on stocking Michigan lakes with public access, and what the DNR finds there.
Hope this helps, remember the magazine is free, and they are on the internet.

Come on Lynda does Michigan have to have a good reason to not allow something? You know better than that!

I was at a Michigan Aquaculture meeting where a retired DNR official spoke. He told us Grass Carp were worthless and studies showed that all they did was convert macrophyte problem to an algae problem no exceptions. He said they had studies to prove it. It was all I could do to bite my tongue to ask how I could access those studies that showed they were worthless. I have serious doubts there are any.

My favorite story from Michigan is the biologist up there that was complaining that domestic browns were messing with their NATIVE browns. Browns are not native to Michigan or the U.S. for that matter!

As far as hybrid striped bass they are not all sterile. Perhaps that is what they are afraid of? I still don't see it as a problem though.

I'm still waiting for a response from my contact in Michigan but going to the Department of Agriculture website I don't see hybrid striped bass listed under the list of approved aquaculture species below. I find it doubtful if they are not an approved species for aquaculture they would allow them to be planted into ponds. Again I will find out for you from a good source up there.

You will need an Aquaculture Facility Registration if you will be commercially culturing, producing, growing, using, propagating, harvesting, transporting, importing, exporting, or marketing approved aquaculture species under the Michigan Aquaculture Act. These species include: lake sturgeon, paddlefish, arctic grayling, atlantic salmon, brown trout, brook trout, splake, lake trout, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, rainbow trout, lake whitefish, lake herring, muskellunge, northern pike, tiger muskie, common carp, goldfish, creek chub, bowfin, redbelly dace, finescale dace, common shiner, golden shiner, emerald shiner, bluntnose minnow, fathead minnow, black bullhead, yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, channel catfish, flathead catfish, burbot, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, white crappie, black crappie, hybrid crappie, warmouth, rock bass, green sunfish, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, pumpkinseed, redear sunfish, sauger, walleye, saugeye, yellow perch, bigmouth buffalofish, white perch, white bass, tilapia, prawn, crayfish, brine shrimp, shrimp, mahi-mahi, haddock, cod, halibut, snapper, grouper, red drum, tuna, flounder, pompano, snook, and mackerel.

http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1569_16979_21263---,00.html

If it turns out they are not legal I would keep it quiet. The MDNR has been know to make people rotenone or drain their ponds when there are fish that aren't supposed to be in there.

Lynda, the Oakland Lakefront was a good site to browse. It had a link to the MDNR and a spot to ask questions of them. I hope that I didn't give myself away by asking???? The site said that I would get an answer in 10 days or less. I hope the answer doesn't come by way of a knock on my door.?!

Michfish:
I don't think you have to worry about that. The MDEQ has a similar site to ask questions, the guy there name Eric is a good contact, and the Southfield Michigan DNR office is good, maybe you can get them by phone. Go back to Oakland Lakefront archives and read up on Jim Francis and the lakes he stocked with what fish in Michigan, maybe your answer will be there. Most of these people are helpful and supportive for people like us trying to solve problems.

Michfish,

Are you sure they are not striped bass? If so that's O.K.

However the logic behind allowing stripers but not hybrids escapes me. Anyone have any ideas?

Maybe they don't want hybrids to avoid back crossing with Stripers or White Bass? That is one rationale for the decreased use of Saugeye (wrt Walleye and Saugers) in Ohio.