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“ No white bass die offs in northeast South Dakota this year and has not been an issue since I ’ ve been here ,” he said . “ I believe in the mid-90s there was a major die-off on Big Stone , but that was before I was working for SDGFP .” •
White bass don ’ t have a particular large following in the Dakotas , but the fighting fish is highly-prized among many .
was the case in this instance . These disease outbreaks are more likely to occur when fish are exposed to a stressful event such as high water temperatures or the physical demands of spawning . Stressful events weaken a fish ’ s immune system and increase susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections in the same way lack of sleep or running a marathon increases our susceptibility to the common cold .”
Bailey continued : “ The timing of this particular fish kill aligns with the white bass spawning period and this was likely the stressor that made these fish susceptible to the bacterial infection . Other recent white bass fish kills on Lake Oahe ( 2009 and 2005 ) were also caused by bacterial infection but those fish kills occurred in August when high water temps were most likely the stressor that contributed to those events .”
Fish kills of any kind are always a concern for biologists and anglers , both groups anxious to learn the extent and cause . Bailey said that while the most recent event was noteworthy , it didn ’ t have a major impact on the fishery . We asked him if he could estimate the percentage of the white bass population that was lost recently .
“ That ’ s impossible for me to say ,” he answered . “ However , we conducted our annual netting survey of the ND portion of Lake Oahe in mid-July following the fish kill , and saw decent numbers of white bass . Thus far , it appears that this event likely did not have a major impact .”
Generally , anglers don ’ t list white bass high on the list of preferred species . While white bass are abundant in the Dakotas and have hardcore fans among a smaller group of fishermen , they ’ re not widely pursued . Had walleyes been involved , the situation would have been seriously different . Asked if particular bacteria is confined to white bass only in Lake Oahe , Bailey explained that the disease is present in other areas at times .
“ We ’ ve documented similar stress-induced disease outbreaks that have led to white bass fish kills on Devils Lake , most recently in 2013 and 2021 ,” he explained . “ However , Devils Lake ’ s cooler water temperatures likely reduce both the frequency and severity of these events . Additionally , there ’ s some evidence in the fisheries literature that higher salinity levels ( like those of Devils Lake )
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As far as South Dakota ’ s northeast waters , no incidents have been recorded , at least in modern times , of disease outbreaks among white bass . That ’ s among some famous white bass water .
Fisheries biologist Brian Blackwell said there ’ s not been any white bass issues as have been experienced in Lake Oahe .
“ No white bass die offs in northeast South Dakota this year and has not been an issue since I ’ ve been here ,” he said . “ I believe in the mid-90s there was a major die-off on Big Stone , but that was before I was working for SDGFP .” •
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