White bass continue to die off and feed the gulls and pelicans on Utah Lake...and probably the walleyes and catfish too. One recent report I got included the information that some of the deceased whities were covered in a brownish fuzz. Sounds like the fungus that Provo River Browns get after the stress of spawning in warm fall waters. I emailed Chris Crockett of DWR with an inquiry as to what they might have found up to this point. As always, he was quick to respond and here is his reply:
Pat, I don't have any clear answers yet. We have been out on the lake three times in the last week. Basic water quality metrics look normal, our partner agencies have tested for cyanobacteria (nothing to speak of there), and our fish health pathologist has examined several white bass. We were able to collect several recently deceased and/or dying white bass and thus far everything has looked normal. I think the "fuzz" anglers are reporting essentially comes after they have been dead/dying for any length of time and it's not the cause of their death (they are already stressed, beat up, dying, and then they get some fungus/bacteria growth). We have not seen any signs of a spill, contaminants, or pathogen. My best guesstimate right now is that it's due to accumulated stressors (quick temp increase, a few wind/turbidity events, thin/underfed fish, etc,) but right now that is only a guess and not a very satisfying answer.
Any thoughts or hypotheses?
[font="Tahoma", sans-serif]Chris Crockett[/font]
[font="Tahoma", sans-serif]Central Region Aquatics Manager[/font]
[font="Tahoma", sans-serif]Utah Division of Wildlife Resources[/font]
Pat, I don't have any clear answers yet. We have been out on the lake three times in the last week. Basic water quality metrics look normal, our partner agencies have tested for cyanobacteria (nothing to speak of there), and our fish health pathologist has examined several white bass. We were able to collect several recently deceased and/or dying white bass and thus far everything has looked normal. I think the "fuzz" anglers are reporting essentially comes after they have been dead/dying for any length of time and it's not the cause of their death (they are already stressed, beat up, dying, and then they get some fungus/bacteria growth). We have not seen any signs of a spill, contaminants, or pathogen. My best guesstimate right now is that it's due to accumulated stressors (quick temp increase, a few wind/turbidity events, thin/underfed fish, etc,) but right now that is only a guess and not a very satisfying answer.
Any thoughts or hypotheses?
[font="Tahoma", sans-serif]Chris Crockett[/font]
[font="Tahoma", sans-serif]Central Region Aquatics Manager[/font]
[font="Tahoma", sans-serif]Utah Division of Wildlife Resources[/font]