Sapro- What Is The Patient Zero?

[jasonvilly]

I was thinking a lot about Sapro the last couple of days.

 

I think it is all too convenient to blame all of our problems on global warming. As we all know global warming is having far reaching effects on our climate and environment and we are seeing a loss of species. But to simply blame global warming on this "outbreak" of Sapro, to me seams too easy.

 

If you step back and look at the bow river as a whole, then it is easy to say that it is healthy. But that is like looking at a cancer patient and saying that most of him/her is doing okay, its just this little bit of cancer that is the problem.

 

If Sapro is the cancer, then what other effects on the system will it have?

 

I realize that sapro is a naturally occuring fungi/algae/diatom in our river system, but this poses many questions that I dont think globabl warming can solely explain. Why the sudden prevalence of it all of sudden? Up until last September (according to when posts started popping up) Sapro and affected browns were not being seen on the Bow River. So what is it that has changed? When you look at other outbreaks in the world there is usually a patient zero, so what is the patient zero on our Bow River?

 

I thought long and hard about what changes have happened in recent memory that could have had an effect on changing the ecosystem. At this point it is all conjecture and just my rambling thoughts, as truly I have no empirical data to support my thoughts.

 

 

A prolonged Runoff/highwater event in 2012.

 

Sapro is capable of reproducing asexually via spores. Spores are amazing in their ability to remain dormant for a long period of time. As the water gets higher spores laying dormant in the riparian zone would be washed into the river increasing the contact between spore and fish. At the same time, during highwater, fish tend to congregate closer to the shore where the spores would be released thus increasing the likelyhood that the two would meet.

 

A longer runoff and increased exposure to the spores could be the culprit.

 

 

Harive passage

 

Was the weir acting as some sort of barrier? Preventing spores from moving down river? I only mention this because in my observations I am seeing more didymo downstream of Harvie this year than I have experienced in the past. If there is more didymo moving downstream could there also be an increase in more Sapro as a consequence of removing the weir. I am not sure?

 

So why my concern and thoughts. I do love catching browns, but moreso my concern is that if we see the reduction of even one species on the river, then what other interdependent species will be affected?

 

I know nature will do its magic and browns will survive and pass on their "stronger" genes, but in the interim what other effects will this have on the aquatic ecosystem of the bow river.

 

So many questions so little answers.

[bcubed]

Why the sudden prevalence of it all of sudden? Up until last September (according to when posts started popping up) Sapro and affected browns were not being seen on the Bow River. S

 

Well, that's not entirely true, it was seen every year, but it was usually a couple older tired fish post spawn that you would see, certainly not the numbers we've been seeing since last fall. If anything, runoff is helpful for our fish as it gives them lots of water and cool temperature, and we would have seen the sapro come mid july and august. We also would have seen this in 2005, and 2008 (i think that was the other big one, can't remember), however those years produced some of the best and healthiest trout in a long time. Runoff is natural, and last year was not record setting for amount of water in the riv.

 

The low water in the fall was probably a big culprit. Not much water, warm water, getting pushed together, a warm fall that kept anglers out later, and then getting pounded on daily, including through their spawning period.

 

Personally, i believe it's an increase in anglers, an increase in pressure, and an increase in handling. People need to start treating fish better, especially those who consider themselves ambassadors of the sport. Not directed at anyone, however something everyone should really think about.

 

Do you really need another photo of a 18" trout from the river? Are you more concerned about getting the photo on facebook, rather then getting the fish back in the water. Lots of people need to examine their motives behind taking photos, especially with this increase in sapro.

 

I also found it funny that the brownies that i've seen that are in less fished zones, are in great shape..

 

I would also say that any ncrease in didymo is likely from the low water in the fall. lots of growing hours, not much water for light to penetrate to..pretty optimal growing conditions. Personally i think we all forget that this time of year there is that big push of nasty *hit in the water after the first bump of water

[Muffin]

Being relatively new to the sport and the bow river I really like this discussion. Lots of interesting points and ideas guys, thanks for posting and sharing.

 

MMMM, brain candy!

[Jayhad]

Harive passage

 

Was the weir acting as some sort of barrier? Preventing spores from moving down river?

I don't think so, the weir allowed for water to flow over, if water goes over so does water born sediment/spores.bugs whatever.

 

The browns are in the Bow they're just not where they used to be

[dutchie]

i myself think the low low water in augs / sept , and the fall spawn for the browns stressed them out pretty bad ,

[jasonvilly]

Love the discussion....truly what I was hoping for and appreciate and value both your comments Dutchie and Jayhad.

 

It is more my brain trying to process what I am witnessing. I am not of the type to shrug my shoulders and pass it off, I like to know what is happening and I find it intriguing to delve deeper into topics that interest me.

[troutlover]

I think it's global warming

[matt1984]

I don't believe that the increase in Sapro started last fall, but actually much earlier. I started noticing alot of browns affected with the fungus as early as June during runoff, and have pictures of several fish from July that were covered in Sapro (*note the pictures were taken to document the disease not to post on FB for ego boosting). I think people just started taking notice more in fall when the water was lower and it was easier to spot the fish.

[jasonvilly]

I think people just started taking notice more in fall when the water was lower and it was easier to spot the fish.

 

Excellent point, I was just using the forum as a tool as to when people started noticing the infected fish.

 

Question for those who have been around the bow for much longer than I. Would you consider in your opinion the rate of infected fish to be the same as previous years or greater?

[matt1984]

I would say much greater, in past years the only times I would see infected fish was post-spawn and it would only be 1 or 2 fish. Last year was the first time in 10 years I have seen the issue in the summer months.

[monger]

I'm with Brent...way more fish handling going on....more stress to the fish....immunocompromised....disease gets a foothold

[reevesr1]

Brent, Rob-

I'm not going to say fish handling does not matter, because it does. However, the widespread outbreak of sapro on big post spawn browns last fall does not jibe with fish handling being the issue. If fish handling were the primary culprit, it would be all species, all sizes affected. Not just big post spawn browns. If there had been a step change in fishing pressure corresponding to a step change in disease outbreak, I'd be inclined to believe fish handling is a primary culprit. In this case however, there is no evidence of that. Single species, very specific timing-right when the brown trout are at their most vulnerable.

 

You are both strong advocates of light handling, with Rob advocating heavy tippets, fast landing, fast release and Brent advocating mostly the same-get 'em back in the water as soon as possible. People would be well advised to follow your lead to the betterment of the fish population. But I just don't see where handling is playing any appreciable role in this, or it would be spread more evenly, not so specifically. Having a great hammer doesn't make the whole world a nail.

 

Edit: And I did read the 2010 Sapro paper which advocated light handling of fish to help alleviate outbreaks--it did not state that handling was a primary cause. It did specifically target spawning however. Fortunately for rainbows, they spawn when it is still cold and not prevalent.

[bcubed]

I'll play devils advocate.

 

Perhaps the browns aren't as tough as the rainbows when it comes to handling (i have seen a few rainbows effected in the last couple weeks, a few in the above 20" mark, and a few below, as well as hearing about some more dead ones being found). Either way, if it's not handling, giving the fish a little more respect and a little less "love", will be helpful no matter if it is the root cause of sapro or not.

Really, there probably is no root cause.

 

However, start adding some cumulative effects such as low, warm water and extra handling..suddenly you start seeing it get out of control.

 

We can't fix water levels (despite how many emails I send to ESRD, etc), we can't fix water temps, we can't fix where the fish will be spawning, we cant fix that sapro is in our water, etc etc etc., however we can fix (or at least attempt to mitigate) our own personal effects on them.

 

Is that not reason enough to try and create a little less impact? Even with a great hammer, you'll start with the obvious nails..

[reevesr1]

As I said, I agree with your philosophy of light handling- I practice it. I land fish generally as fast as I can, tend to use heavy tippet, don't use nets all the time, particularly on bigger fish which I find easier to hand land personally, and don't take many pictures. Less every year unless there is something special about the fish. And never if I'm not 100% ready to take it when I land it.

 

I just don't think attributing this particular event to fish handling and/or angling pressure in general is accurate, at least to me. The facts don't seem to line up.

 

Edit:

And I should mention that the way I deal with fish has changed over the years in no small part from reading Brent and Monger and others. So again, totally on board with limiting impact during handling!

[maxwell]

I'm with the low water the last couple falls/winters combined with over fishing in some spots. that is definetly where I see most of the populations forsure. I think we see more browns versus how's only because of the time of year rainbows are spawning now weak fish are washed downstream before most of the river clears and I creased users get a chance to see any of the fish. fish handling does a lot same with spawning fish beatin each other up. same difference really and a cause of the "peak" times we are this. last fall was low water early fairly good weather and more anglers fishing it's great to finally see more anglers caring and bringing this up also! since I was really young and fishing the bow (elementary) I tremember seeing the odd fish like this and definetly finding some big dead browns late fall. did I fish as much then as I do now. no. but it had always bin around.

 

the best way to keep this outbreak or whatever more manageable would be for one having more water. seems we run the water through ASAP then keep just enough to make it manageable and safe for river users. IMHO. we've had more people dying in the last decade than the one previous and I think that has something to do with it. good luck getting any fact from trans alta or whoever. maybe I'm just crazy!!

 

the other way is definetly better fish handling. laying off photos yea but also netting fish, mid treating smaller ones, over fishing the same spots where fish stack up pre spawn, winter, runoff etc. I cycle lots and wander lots so do other people and its a hard thing for people to do. especially for those new to the sport who have someone like myself, another guide, fishing buddy or friend recommend the se spots.

 

one other thing is I think some of this is over blown. if 100 people report the same 2 fish at "policemans flats" it does not make it 200 fish. last year I did see more fish than normal in the fall but maybe double tops! I did see the same couple fish or group of fish however in the same spot slowly dying every time I floated by. same thing right now some people are sayin they are seeing more than usual rainbows with sapro and still some browns and even the odd white.. talked to a few people they all said 6-10 tops (4 different guides) and another guide claimed over 40! who is also apart of our "group" fisheries was out from what I heard last week but fusing resources and whatnot are not totally there.

 

the best way to treat this is keep nagging the right people forsure but caring for our fish! and teaching as many people I care to

[CopperJonny]

yeah.... also as have been mentioned , it certainly has to be water levels. With the weir work/Harvie Passage having been completed over the past couple of years until the opening, and the the water treatment project near the extender bridge being done without giving the river time to recuperate to "normal" conditions. I'm sure placed the river to the breaking point where something had to give... and prevailing disease being the foremost threat in any circumstance of over crowding(due to low water) ie: salmon farms and most likely due to the levels being so low and temps rising. became prime habitat for bacteria to thrive.

 

I sincerely pray that the river will have a rest from any construction for minimum 5 yrs... I know daydreams lol

 

Edited: Hey Jay thanks for bringing this up man. To be honest I swung by FT on the weekend, and had myself all worked up over it on the drive.. I'm not sure what started it, yet by the time I arrived my usual cheery attitude was completely covered in cloudy skies... i felt like my knuckles where draggin' lol, and was not in a friendly frame of mind.... man i was choked and the more i thought of it the worse i felt. I couldn't stay long

 

I have heard that one of the rivers in Montana (the Missouri i believe) has suffered an outbreak in '04. And it impacted the quality of fishery for 3-4 yrs.. and apparently is back to normal.. from what I've heard they are somewhere around 8,000 fish per mile... I won't claim that as an accurate number... i will google it, but that is what I've heard from a friend who goes down regularly. Is down there now on his 7th trip this spring already.

 

Also with this topic at hand I will bump once again a friendly reminder to all of us and others to not forget about cleaning our gear, even lines etc as we hit up different waters in our lifestyle and ventures. (and don't forget stories hehe) I know its a pain in the butt, yet as the old saying goes.. an ounce of prevention....something, something, and I can't remember the rest

[monger]

Handling clarification....just hooking and fighting the fish causes stress(cortisone levels elevate), even without actually touching the fish. When the fish start getting hooked enough times there will be repercussions. It appears most of the infected fish are observed in high-density angler areas. To me, that looks like there is a link. There are definitely more anglers these days, and more anglers who are successful. There will certainly be a number of factors working together to get the problem to mortality. Warmer water temperatures/lower flow certainly are a factor as disease agents can reproduce much quicker at higher temps. Fungus has always been apparent post-spawn in the browns. Now it appears there is more mortality happening. In my experience I have found that fungal infection is often a secondary infection to bacteria. It will be interesting to see how the fish respond over time with our growing population.

Rainbows spawning in the cold spring water far away from us hook chuckers are spared a bunch of these factors.

[eagleflyfisher]

I've been keeping a keen eye on the waters by me downstream of police since last fall after seeing on one occasion 9 infected browns on one night, 5 dead ones in a backwater another.

After that always 1 or more until late sept.

I listened how this was attributed to handling issues, low water etc...

I struck me as a contagious disease spreading fish to fish.

I only saw browns, where a few had spotted some rainbows. All browns were large.

Typically through the winter on some chinooky days around Xmas I'll wander down and usually pick up some good browns and bows.

I have seen zero browns since at least last fall.

I don't limit myself to fishing close to the house but check out lots of other water as well.

Striking out there as well.

So I'm thinking to myself this is a problem, I hear other anglers say they have seen this over the years.

Not me, I've got quite a few years under my belt and never come across this that I can remember.

I went and had a peek for an hour tonight, cloudy, cool, lots of bugs caddis & mostly blue wings . Saw one corpse trout swim away from shore & other than that nothing.

Took a quick look in a backwater that's full now as the river came up a good foot since the other day.

In it were a total of 8 whitefish, 6 had sapro on there faces, one good & one big dead one with the sapro.

I guess I'm adding to the so called hype someone stated earlier, but I'm saying BS to that one.

However it all started its certainly contagious as I witnessed tonight. I'm sure this batch of whites weren't handled but maybe the low water gave it to them. I have my doubts.

[Rich]

All of these points are I am sure valid. However another thought of what could be happening is this is a life cycle of the river as a hole. Fish populations my be getting older and mother nature may be resetting itself allowing the strong to survive and the weaker fish are not. I personally think everything has its cycle and this may have happened to the river 50-100 years ago but we didn't have the communication back then that we do now.

[maxwell]

y got it rich the best art is people are noticing this type of stuff now and like Brent mentioned and others we can do our part and cycle through some runs more try not Toni er stress fish with excessive handling and try to enjoy the sport but preserve it at the same time. it's a funny thing we want to catch them and touch them but its actually bad for them haha!

[jasonvilly]

Maxwell

 

You are probably right, we are own worst enenmy in some cases.

[reevesr1]

I've been keeping a keen eye on the waters by me downstream of police since last fall after seeing on one occasion 9 infected browns on one night, 5 dead ones in a backwater another.

After that always 1 or more until late sept.

I listened how this was attributed to handling issues, low water etc...

I struck me as a contagious disease spreading fish to fish.

I only saw browns, where a few had spotted some rainbows. All browns were large.

Typically through the winter on some chinooky days around Xmas I'll wander down and usually pick up some good browns and bows.

I have seen zero browns since at least last fall.

I don't limit myself to fishing close to the house but check out lots of other water as well.

Striking out there as well.

So I'm thinking to myself this is a problem, I hear other anglers say they have seen this over the years.

Not me, I've got quite a few years under my belt and never come across this that I can remember.

I went and had a peek for an hour tonight, cloudy, cool, lots of bugs caddis & mostly blue wings . Saw one corpse trout swim away from shore & other than that nothing.

Took a quick look in a backwater that's full now as the river came up a good foot since the other day.

In it were a total of 8 whitefish, 6 had sapro on there faces, one good & one big dead one with the sapro.

I guess I'm adding to the so called hype someone stated earlier, but I'm saying BS to that one.

However it all started its certainly contagious as I witnessed tonight. I'm sure this batch of whites weren't handled but maybe the low water gave it to them. I have my doubts.

Are male whitefish as aggressive when spawning as trout? Weakened defenses last fall, just like the browns. The good news would be that if the infection was last fall, the fact you are seeing them now can't be all bad? They did survive the winter with this (again, assuming they were infected in the fall). I was actually curious if this was affecting whites as well since both are fall spawners.

 

Like max and rich, I hope this is being over hyped. We do have a tendency to do so from time to time!

[Hawgstoppah]

Maybe the time is coming for fall closures in city limits, perhaps Police and up, where a good number of the browns go to spawn. I've seen people fish for browns sitting on their bloody redds in fish creek park. It would be a start into protecting the browns we all love, and lets face it... as much as we'd like to be selfish and keep fishing... this has got to be about the fish and not our fishing needs or desires for once.

[maxwell]

I'm not tryin to say this isn't a good this but in some cases it's not much more we can do than try to be extra cautious. a huge thing that bother me is the summer fishing and lack of oxygen and improper release to! every year there's fish kills from that spotting fish pinned agains structure trying to regain strength after a long fish... once again same problem. to much handling not much time reviving. Brian peace stressed it lots I've bin trying to show It more in some photos.. no different than the fish on rocks and dry hands. more time in water and proper handling will help these fish in all situations. I love pics but I've stepped it down for a few reasons. and really I love staring at the fish while they revive far more than looking at my grip and grin on Facebook PC or iPhone... winter is not different this all boils down to fish handling... fish all torn up on every streams... same thing better care when removing the hook especially with smaller fish tht arnt important (for all the money girls and fame or whatever) need to be handled with respect Barry mitchel brought it up in his book and with a seperate article once. we cant control the variables like dam flows, weather, snow pact , rain or whatever else but we can educate and do our best to handle ever fish with care big or small it all adds up and causes fisheries to rebound or decline

[bcubed]

Maybe the time is coming for fall closures in city limits, perhaps Police and up, where a good number of the browns go to spawn. I've seen people fish for browns sitting on their bloody redds in fish creek park. It would be a start into protecting the browns we all love, and lets face it... as much as we'd like to be selfish and keep fishing... this has got to be about the fish and not our fishing needs or desires for once.

 

 

As you saw from my topic regarding this, there is a little too much greed, and NIMBY regarding this.

 

Won't lie, the complete apathy towards the protection of fish when it comes at the expense of some fishing opportunities, being 'famous', etc, is just depressing.