Mass mortality of large carp in front of the blaarmeersen by virus: Not harmful for people, but stay out of the water

Gent Since good 3 weeks to come in the Blaarmeersenvijver dead carp to the surface. Research shows that the major carps are infected with a virus. “Supposedly, the great mortality is already behind the back, and the rotting fish now floats to the top”, sounds in the Nature and Forest Agency. The wateroverloop to the Watersportbaan is preventive shut down.

The fishermen, that the administrators of the @ Blaarmeersen, sports fishing Flanders and the Agency for Nature & Forest have warned. “Since nearly 3 weeks we noticed that there were dead carp came to the fore,” says Dimitri Verschaeve. “Not one, but many. Last week, for example, there are 30 out of the water, yesterday, 18. And it's not going to be small fish. Some of the beasts we recognize, that are more than 20 years old. It comes to carp of 8 to 21 pounds.”

Farys did tests on the water, but could nothing suspicious found. “But in the dead carp itself is a virus detected," says visserijbioloog Alain Dillen of the Agency for Nature & Forest. “This virus is dormant in each Flemish fishing, but only under certain circumstances active. And that's now happened in front of the blaarmeersen.”

Dillen went on-the-spot look, and noticed that no bovendrijvende fish there ‘fresh’ looking, and that there are still dead copies on the bottom layers. “That suggests to me that the great mortality all over, and that the rotting corpses come to the surface,” he says. “The only thing for now we can take the dead fish away. And we also have the wateroverloop between the blaarmeersen which offers the the Most, via the side arm that Belvédère is called, shut down. For example, the virus does not spread.”

For many people, the virus is not harmful. “But I would for the time being out of the water, stay away”, warns Dillen. “Quite apart from the fact that the dead fish huge stink, do you know what secondary diseases on the rotting cadavers to develop. And that may, however, be harmful.”

Fisherman Giovanni Vanhooren says that there is also a dead eel, pike and even crayfish along the shore. “A lot less than common carp, but still...” According to Alain Dillen can it be a coincidence, and are weaker copies of other types are also sensitive to karperziekten. How many carp remaining in the pond, is guessing. According to one of these is the half of the stock, according to the other, is the best. “In theory, if a virus throughout the stocking cut off, but that rarely happens,” says Dillen. “How such a thing occurs, it is also not clear. It is possible that someone illegally contaminated carp in front of the blaarmeersen has turned off, but that we can't prove it. For now, we can't do anything but wait and ‘uitzieken’. And after a time may be considered for the stock to replenish.”

Who is rotting dead carp along the banks to see, there is best.