3 STEPS TO PREVENT KHV

Anglers hold the key to stopping the spread of KHV. Here are three simple things you can do to help the cause.

1 Let the sun do its work

Dry your nets – nets that are damp and chucked in the garage will harbour infections that can live for weeks on end.

But by putting your nets out on the lawn in sunlight once you get home, you are almost guaranteed to kill any infections.

If you are unable to dry your nets at home, lay them out on the bank at the fishery before your session, giving them at least 45 minutes in direct sunlight.

2 Tend to your stink bags

Empty stink bags – the stagnant water that collects in the bottom of these can also harbour deadly bugs.

Tip the water out of your bag, making sure you do this well away from any venue so that it can’t seep in. Keep your stink bag open while you are fishing and allow the sunlight to dry it, killing all the bugs in the process.

3 Sterilise your nets

Use net dips – hundreds of commercials insist on visitors fully submerging their keepnets in a chemical solution before they start to fish. Although there is a lot of debate as to how effective dips are in the fight against disease, there is certainly no evidence to suggest they cause harm, and when in place they should be used.

Drying your nets after they have been dipped makes it even more likely that all bugs will be killed.