About Us

Introduction

The La Crosse Fish Health Center, in Onalaska, Wisconsin, was established in 1962 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Act of 1956. The laboratory at that time was located at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wisconsin. The laboratory relocated to the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center in 1980, moved to temporary quarters in 1993 and then moved to the USFWS Resource Center in Onalaska in January of 1995.

The Center serves an eight state area in the Big Rivers Region and Great Lakes basin and is part of the national system of nine fish health laboratories which assist national fish hatcheries in the diagnosis and control of infectious fish diseases. The Center provides services to state, federal and tribal fish hatcheries and to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Fish raised in hatcheries are particularly susceptible to a variety of diseases. For this reason, biologists trained in fish health management and a technical staff trained in diagnostic procedures are at fish health centers to assist fish culturists. The La Crosse laboratory is equipped to identify fish viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other environmental and nutritional diseases.

Disease Diagnostics

Most hatcheries are equipped to diagnose and treat common fish diseases. If disease problems exceed the capabilities of hatchery staff, the Center can provide additional assistance. When infectious diseases occur in reservoirs and ponds, or a hatchery experiences fish losses of an unexplained nature, the Center is alerted and fish samples are either brought to the laboratory or collected on site by a fish health specialist. The fish samples are then screened to determine the cause of mortality. When feasible, treatments or control measures are recommended.

Disease Inspection of Fish Facilities

A disease inspection consists of taking representative samples of fish populations at a facility and screening them for certifiable viral, bacterial, and parasitic fish pathogens. Most states require this documentation of fish health status before transporting fish within or out of the state, or before stocking into the Great Lakes.

The Center maintains a master list of disease status of all federal and state hatcheries within the region and of private hatcheries that are participants in the Great Lakes Fishery Commission cooperative. This requires biannual disease inspections of production and brood stock facilities. A high degree of technical accuracy is required in inspection work because results are used as the basis for many fish transfers within and outside of the Region. Wild fish populations whose progeny are intended for use in agency programs or on hatcheries are also included in the health inspection program.

Fish Quality Assessment

The La Crosse Fish Health Center annually conducts fish quality assessments on lake trout reared at National Fish Hatcheries in the Great Lakes/Big Rivers region.  Specific external and internal characteristics are evaluated to determine the overall condition of the fish.  The data provides an indication of the condition of fish at a particular facility and establishes values associated with normal health conditions at the facility.

Extension Services

The Center is also involved in the distribution of technical information regarding fish health, fish disease control, and fish propagation. Staff members are frequently called upon by all user groups to provide advice and direction in matters of fish health.

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Center Facts

Established: 1962

FY 2006 Budget: $602,000

Staff: seven permanent employees

Geographic Area Served

- Eight-state region in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Basin

- Member of a national system of nine fish health laboratories

Center Goals

- Provide fish health services to six national and several tribal fish hatcheries to minimize the risk of disease agents impacting fish restoration

- Assist state and private fish hatcheries in diagnosing and controlling infectious disease agents

- Provide technical assistance regarding fish health and propagation

- Conduct wild fish health surveys to determine and monitor the distribution of fish pathogens in free ranging fish populations

Services Provided To:

State and federal agencies

Regional Indian Communities

Fishery research agencies

Commercial hatcheries

Universities

Activity Highlights

- Staff instructs several fish health courses offered through the Service’s National Conservation Training Center

- Conducts research projects on parasitological, viral and bacteriological fish disease agents

- Has collected more than 21,000 tissue samples from 39 species of fish throughout the Midwest Region for the National Wild Fish Health Survey

- Monitors and oversees the use of drugs and chemicals for national fish hatchery use under the sponsorship of the National Investigational New Animal Drug Program

- Participates on rapid response team to investigate suspicious fish kills in regional lakes and rivers

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