Something smells fishy

SANDUSKY — In May, people might have noticed large amounts of dead fish in Lake Erie. But the putrid sight isn't anything out of the ordinary. The strange phenomenon is known as a "fish kill," in which groups of fish die off in large numbers due to overpopulation, algae bloom or increased water temperature. Travis Hartman, Lake Erie Fisheries program administrator, said that fish kills are common and occur every year. "These large fish die-offs are not due to pollution or fish harvesting. It's a strange natural occurrence that is not harmful to humans or the environment," Hartman said. Hartman and other wildlife officials in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Sandusky post said Sandusky experienced a higher mortality rate this year due to a deadly fish virus called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, commonly referred to as VHS. "This virus has been present in Lake Erie since at least 2005, and the first huge mortality events we saw were in 2006 and 2007," Hartman said. Fortunately, the virus is not transmittable to humans. For humans, the occurrence is more of an annoyance than anything dangerous "Big kills like this only happen every three to five years," Hartman said.