PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — A virus causing minor fish kills in other states has been detected in the Ohio River watershed, according to a fisheries biologist.

Despite the presence of Largemouth Bass Virus (LBV), no fish kills have been reported in West Virginia, to which the Ohio River belongs, said Scott Morrison, state Division of Natural Resources (DNR) District 6 fisheries biologist.

"Largemouth Bass Virus is not that uncommon," Morrison said. "It’s been found in several places in West Virginia, including North Bend Lake and the Ohio River."

LBV was first identified in the mid-1990s. It is a naturally occurring virus found in many fish and amphibians, but as far as biologists can determine, the disease has only been produced in bass, Morrison said.

"It’s kind of like a cold virus," he continued. "All (largemouth) carry it to various degrees."

Biologists know little about what causes the disease, but it is believed LBV attacks the swim bladder, because afflicted fish have difficulty swimming and staying upright. In most places where fish kills have occurred, bass were found swimming near the surface.

While fisheries biologists do not know what causes the virus, it usually presents in hotter months, such as July and August. This leads biologists to suspect the stress of higher temperatures and lower oxygen levels in water may cause the virus to flare up. It usually affects the larger bass.

"It’s the very biggest fish that are most vulnerable," Morrison said.

The virus showed up at North Bend Lake in North Bend, a state park in Harrisville, W.Va., a year ago, and signs are now posted around the body of water warning anglers about the problem and what steps to take to help keep it from spreading. These include not transporting fish from one body of water to another and for boat owners to clean and disinfect their live wells after every trip.

"It has killed fish in other states, but we’ve never had a die-off in West Virginia," Morrison said.

There are currently no known outbreaks in Ohio, according to the Ohio DNR. Where there have been fish kills, biologists say the largemouth bass population may be impacted in the short-term, but no long-term impacts have occurred.

Morrison said anglers do not need to stop fishing during the warmer months, just to use caution with the fish. "(The DNR) is working to try to keep the virus from spreading to other bodies of water," he said.

In the recent past, the virus has had reported outbreaks in bodies of water in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and other surrounding states.