Beyond Surveillance: Education and Outreach Activities to Support VHS Management Strategies in Illinois

Since the discovery of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in the Great Lakes in 2005, the State of Illinois has moved quickly to 1) initiate statewide surveillance activities, including partnerships between the USDA APHIS, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), and the Illinois private aquaculture industry; 2) establish strict but logical rules governing intra- and interstate movement of fishes; and 3) oversee the implementation and enforcement of the aforementioned rules.  In addition to comprehensive surveillance of susceptible species throughout the state and tracking of susceptible species movement from Lake Michigan into the Chicago waterways, we have developed a model biosecurity plan for Illinois aquafarms, coordinated a biosecurity workshop, distributed shammy-style towels imprinted with prevention strategies to recreational boaters in Illinois, and installed informational signs at boat ramps and marinas throughout the state.  Taken together, these efforts comprise one of the most comprehensive VHS management programs undertaken in the Great Lakes, but is it enough and to what end?  Impacts of education and outreach campaigns as a part of comprehensive disease management will be discussed in the context of stakeholder perspectives regarding VHS management in Illinois, including the biological and regulatory realities of interjurisdictional management approaches.