Lake St. Clair

[Fishing Report]

A significant number of muskellunge have died over the last month in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. The die-off is being monitored by the DNR and volunteer groups in the area. We have essentially ruled out pollution as a factor since those species more sensitive to pollution such as walleye and minnows have not been affected. Added to the mystery is the die-off of some bluegills, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, perch and even carp found in the canals around Lake St. Clair and Gross Isle. This fish mortality could have been caused by several factors including a combination of spawning stress and a warm winter which may have set the stage for disease. April has been warm and sunny ? causing shallow bays and channels to warm rapidly during daylight hours, but then cool rapidly at night. These rapid temperature changes are very stressful to fish that have just emerged from a long winter period of cold temperatures. At this time, it is unknown if the bacterial disease first detected in Lake St. Clair muskellunge in 2002, known as musky pox (Piscirickettsia sp.), is involved. Many of the fish, including ALL of the muskies died weeks ago and have been lying on the bottom of the lake. As water temperatures warm up ? the fish begin to float. Pathologists cannot test these fish for musky pox or other diseases. Only live fish or fish that have been dead for less than a few hours can be tested for bacterial or viral diseases. We are monitoring the situation to determine the extent of the mortality