Michigan Department of Conservation
Research and Development Report No. 144
Institute for Fisheries Research Report No. 1747, 1968
Kidney Disease Among Michigan Salmon in 1967
David G. MacLean and Warren G. Yoder
Introduction.-Pacific coast salmon are
subject to heavy mortalities from outbreaks of “kidney disease.” These outbreaks occur
in chinook or king salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, coho or silver salmon,
Oncorhynchus kisutch and blueback or kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka
(Earp, Ellis and Ordal, 1953). The disease has been reported for many years from
brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, brown trout, Salmo trutta and rainbow
trout, Salmo gairdneri in coastal and inland states. Although most studies and
records on kidney disease have been carried on in hatcheries, the disease has also
been found in wild fingerling salmon (Rucker, Earp and Ordal, 1954).
Kidney disease was identified for the first time
in Michigan in 1955 among brook trout held at two hatcheries (Allison, 1958).
Since 1955 the disease has occurred at the following hatcheries: at the Oden Hatchery
among brook trout, 1955 and 1956; at the Watersmeet Hatchery among brook trout,
1960 and 1962; at the Marquette Hatchery among brook trout, 1955 and 1956, and
symptoms in 1966; and at the Platte River Rearing Station and the Harrietta Hatchery
among lake trout in 1961 (Allison, 1967). The Platte River Station, Harrietta,
Marquette and Oden Hatcheries are part of the present system for introduction of
coho and chinook salmon into Great Lakes waters. Kokanee salmon were raised at the
Oden and Harrietta hatcheries and planted in Torch Lake and Higgins Lake. Prior to
the actual release of coho, chinook, and kokanee salmon in Michigan waters no
symptoms or evidences of kidney disease were found. This paper is a report on the
1967 finding of kidney disease and the levels of incidence in coho, chinook, and
kokanee salmon.