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  Bass Virus Studied in Tennessee
 More Tennessee reservoirs will be involved in the second phase of a two-year study to determine if stress from
handling bass contributes to the largemouth bass virus (LMBV).

The LMBV has been detected in the following lakes: Barkley, Cherokee, Chickamauga, Douglas, Norris, Percy Priest,
Old Hickory, Woods and Watts Bar. The virus has also been detected in the brood fish at the Normandy Hatchery,
which gets its brood fish from Lake Normandy.

Preliminary findings of the study showed a high mortality rate (65 - 90%) in fish caught in tournaments
held in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri during the summer of 2002. Researchers also have found
a high mortality with fish not subject to tournament stress. This is causing the researchers to look at other
sampling methods during the second phase of the study.

Some of the fish have fallen ill to columnaris. Columnaris is a bacterial disease associated with some kind of stress
condition, such as high water temperature, low dissolved oxygen concentration, crowding or handling.
the disease is commonly seen in warm water species when water temperatures are above 68 degrees.

Experts say that basically there is no way to explain the delayed mortality aspect because the non-tournament fish
died in some instances at a faster rate than the tournament fish. In two out of six tournaments, the non-tournament
fish died at a higher rate. 

Higher water temperatures seem to play the most significant role in the fishes mortality. The studies have shown that
the mortality rate drops to 5 percent in November in the same tournament handling the fish in the same way. But in
events held in July and August, the rate significantly increases.

The TWRA will be working with the Tennessee B.A.S.S. Federation to produce brochures outlining 12 steps for handling
bass. Tennessee Tech University will be printing and handling the initial distribution to federation members.

Over the last three decades studies have been held on bass mortality, but there rates have usually ranged from 10 to 
40 percent mortality. Currently Sport fish Restoration grants are funding four studies designed to validate non-lethal
sampling techniques, improve detection of the virus in infected fish and investigate how stress of being caught might
relate to contracting of LMBV.

To keep abreast of these and other studies conducted by the TWRA, visit the TWRA website at http://www.tnwildlife.org.