LSSU is positioning itself to be on the front lines of fish research and the maintenance of healthy fish populations in the Great Lakes region.
SAULT STE. MARIE -- Lake Superior State University has become the first college in the nation to offer a Bachelors of Science in Fish Health.
Skills learned in the Fish Health major are becoming more valuable as diseases like VHS and bacterial kidney disease (BKD) become more prominent, according to university officials.
“The timing of this new major and location of the university couldn’t be better,” LSSU professor Dr. Geoffrey Steinhart said.
The possibility of a “super lock” being built in LSSU’s backyard brings the possibility of new parasites and viruses being introduced to Michigan’s fish populations via freighter traffic.
LSSU is positioning itself to be on the front lines of fish research and the maintenance of healthy fish populations in the Great Lakes region. Michigan State University is currently responsible for all viral, parasitic, and bacterial fish testing in the State.
With a new state-of-the-art fish health laboratory, LSSU will work in conjunction with MSU. This means a lighter work load for Michigan State and a hands-on learning experience for Fish Health students.
Pressure from the Michigan DNR was also instrumental in bringing the new major to LSSU.
“A good understanding of fish health is vitally needed by our work force,” said Gary E. Whelan, Michigan DNR’s Fish Production Manager.
The new classes offered by the Fish Health major will be beneficial to Fisheries and Wildlife students and to those planning to attend veterinary school.
For more information on the country’s only undergraduate major in Fish Health, you can visit www.lssu.edu/biology.
Jade Olds - TV6 Contributor, Sault Ste. Marie
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