FISHING at Canvey Lake has been suspended after the fish were found to have herpes.

A sign has been put up at the lake by the town council and the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science banning fishing while the fish are checked for the herpes virus, known as KHV.

Symptoms of KHV include gill mottling, red and white patches appearing on gills, bleeding gills, sunken eyes, pale patches and blisters.

Like other strains, KHV stays with the infected fish for the duration of their lives, making the recovered and exposed fish potential carriers of the virus.

Koi fish infected with KHV may die within the first 24 to 48 hours of exposure.

There is no known-cure for the virus and it is highly contagious for fish but humans cannot catch it from them.

Councillor Dave Blackwell said they were working with the Fisheries Department.

He added: “The water level has gone down in the lake because of the lack of rain and this means there is more oxygen which has caused the outbreak to get worse.

“The Fisheries Department has put up notices banning fishing.

“We are working with the department as no one likes to see fish in distress.

“They are worried that fish will be caught and the anglers’ nets infected with the herpes which they could then take to another fishery.

“It is a shame, but it is one of those things.

“Luckily it is getting towards the end of the fishing season now.”

In June, the Echo reported that more than 100 fish in the lake died and their bodies were spotted floating on the surface due to blue-green algae.

No one from Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science was available for comment.