Ryan Katona and Corey Puzach recently completed Iron River National Fish Hatchery’s semiannual fish health inspection.  The survey was competed on 16 different groups of fish more commonly referred to as lots. 

These lots have a comparative sample taken so all of the species and strains of fish have a clean bill of health in the hatchery. 

On the second day of the inspection thirty brook trout and thirty sculpin were also tested from the water supply.  These fish are tested to be certain there are no harmful pathogens entering the hatchery through the water supply.

A kidney swab was taken to screen for the bacterial pathogens, Aeromonas salmonicide, Yersinia ruckeri, Citrobacter freundii, and Edwardsiella ictaluri.  A second kidney sample was taken to be later screened for Renibacterium salmoninarum, a causative agent of Bacterial Kidney Disease. 

Next, kidney and spleen samples were collected and screened for viruses.  The viruses screened for in these cold water fish are Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN), Oncorhynchus Masou Viruses (OMV), Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHN). 

The last sample was heads from the younger lake trout.  These heads will be taken and cooked, crushed, digested, and screened for Myxobolus Cerebralis, more commonly referred to as Whirling disease.