FURUNCULOSIS again in our trout!!

[UglyStick]

I'm far from being an ichthyologist, but an outbreak of furunculosis in an operating hatchery isn't simply a matter of destroying some fish and moving on. Short of removing all the fish, draining and sterilizing the entire facility, it takes a much greater master plan to combat it including everything from keeping birds away from the raceways to antibiotic treatments to obtaining more resistant strains of trout to whatever and can take quite awhile. In an attempt to avoid a complete shutdown that would mean no trout for possibly a few years, F&W (who has an on staff pathologist) are doing everything they can to mitigate the problem while still being able to produce stockable trout even if it means less fish for a period of time.

F&W is aware of the spring stocking schedule and needs to see how their mitigation plan plays out before being able to make any final decisions for the season. They have been very clear to this end discussing the topic and answering all relevant questions at their public forums noting that it will likely be right before the spring stocking period before any final decisions can be made.

From recent updates, it seems that the rainbows, which are much more naturally resistant to furunculosis, are OK. The issue remains with the brookies and browns but does appear to be improving due to the treatments (which is evidenced by the initial quote in this post).

They are fully aware of any and all risks and have no intention of stocking fish that could pose a threat to either humans or the environment. Trust that they know what they're doing and we'll know the conclusion when they know it. I'm not sure what the go / no go date is but it must be sometime in the next few weeks.