Author Topic: Whats wrong with this fish?  (Read 2002 times)

Offline bsrkoacar

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Whats wrong with this fish?
« on: Jan 27, 2018, 11:33 PM »
Caught this today. Looks like it has scoliosis or something. Seen similar looking pictures in other fish species too.




Offline taxi1

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #1 on: Jan 27, 2018, 11:39 PM »
Caught this today. Looks like it has scoliosis or something. Seen similar looking pictures in other fish species too.




Actually known as lordosis. It's a vertical curvature of the spine vs. a side by side curvature known as scoliosis.

Caused by mechanical injury most likely when it was a fry or fingerling or some other trauma caused by parasites or disease. Could be a recessive gene in fish that are too interbred. Less likely is a nutritional deficiency in the fry or fingerlings stages. I see it occasionally in the yellow perch I hatch but not often.
I live in the midwest now but have fond memories of fishing in New England as a kid.

Offline dickerson_jared

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #2 on: Jan 28, 2018, 07:01 AM »
Looks a lot like whirling disease. Caused by Myxobolus cerebralis parasites. Mortality rates are high but some do make it to adulthood.
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Offline taxi1

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #3 on: Jan 28, 2018, 12:30 PM »
Looks a lot like whirling disease. Caused by Myxobolus cerebralis parasites. Mortality rates are high but some do make it to adulthood.

Whirling disease usually manifests itself in smaller fish and the caudal area is black I thought indicative of nerve damage? But I guess if it recovered than it could be WD?

If it was planted it would probably not be subject to WD in concrete raceways would it? And hatcheries have to test for it don't they?

But of course WD is caused by a parasite. (Myxobolus cerebralis).
I live in the midwest now but have fond memories of fishing in New England as a kid.

Offline Mountain Maggot

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #4 on: Jan 28, 2018, 03:52 PM »
Sure looks like whirling disease to me as well.  In Colorado it started in hatcheries in rainbows and rather than kill off the infected fish, fish and wildlife stocked them.  At the time I believe they thought it was genetic inbreeding but then panic set in as the parasite was recognized.  Fortunately, after the fish were caught or died, the problem disappeared.  Hopefully this will be the case in your area as well.

Offline bsrkoacar

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #5 on: Jan 29, 2018, 11:30 PM »
This was a 21 inch fish. I asked the fish biologists and they though it was either injury as a juvenile or a genetic defect.

Offline SpitzoMT

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #6 on: Feb 03, 2018, 04:37 AM »
I caught a pretty decent sized Cutbow out of a reservoir in SW Montana a few years back that was like that.....I was told that it was more than likely a genetic defect !!

Offline deadsmelthead

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #7 on: Feb 03, 2018, 08:07 AM »
Looks like a deformed fish, my friend and the NDOFF (national deformities of fish foundation) said its definately deformed... Id copy and paste a bunch of stuff but its just easier to say its deformed... :)
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Offline taxi1

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Re: Whats wrong with this fish?
« Reply #8 on: Feb 03, 2018, 09:23 AM »
I caught a pretty decent sized Cutbow out of a reservoir in SW Montana a few years back that was like that.....I was told that it was more than likely a genetic defect !!

Looks like a deformed fish, my friend and the NDOFF (national deformities of fish foundation) said its definately deformed... Id copy and paste a bunch of stuff but its just easier to say its deformed... :)

Hmmm... there must be an echo in here.  ;D

The thing is if it was a stocked fish, no fish from a lot that tested positive for WD would be planted. Just doesn't happen no matter what someone tells you. And if the fish was hatched and reared in a concrete raceway system, or fiberglass circular tanks, which is 99 percent of state and federal hatcheries, the chance of it contracting WD are nil to none these days. The life cycle for the parasite that causes WD needs bottom mud as in an earthen pond. Even fish or eggs coming into the hatchery system have to be tested and come out negative for disease or parasites. My source for trout eggs in Utah even tests for mollusk larvae and copepods. 

So yeah if it's a stocked fish it's either genetic or an injury at some point.

I can tell you the states and feds take the fish health testing standards very seriously and don't plant diseased fish. I was under the impression my state of Indiana planted IPN positive fish but apparently it was a false positive. A least that is what I was told.
I live in the midwest now but have fond memories of fishing in New England as a kid.

 



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