As the UK continues to be hit by summer heatwaves, experts in fisheries and aquaculture are calling on fishery owners to be extra vigilant of the devastating Koi Herpes Virus (KHV), which can result in widescale fatalities of carp.
The virus has been a serious and recurrent problem in the UK since 1996, often resulting in between 80 and 100 per cent mortality in infected populations.
Fish are most susceptible in water temperatures of between 60° and 77°F, and with the nation experiencing sustained high temperatures, the team at Mainstream Fisheries – widely respected experts in the industry – are urging fishery owners to test their waters.
“There is now no doubt that KHV seems to be on the increase in the coarse fish industry,” Carl Francis of Mainstream told us.
“One of the challenges with this virus is in establishing if a water body is infected in the absence of any clinical signs in the inhabitant fish. We’ve developed test kits that can determine if the water itself is infected with KHV, which is a simple method of looking for the presence of this unpleasant disease in ponds and lakes.”
For more info, visit: www.mainstreamfisheriesltd.co.ukor call 01790 753324
