Rare ‘Sandy Flesh’ disease in fish is spreading west. It was just found in Colorado

Helena Wegner
·2 min read
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An angler reeled in a fish infected with a rare disease from a Colorado lake, making it the first case in the state, wildlife officials said.

The walleye was caught in Lake Pueblo last fall, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in a Wednesday, April 5, news release.

Officials confirmed it had “Sandy Flesh” disease, a rare degenerative muscle disease that has been found in fish across several Midwestern states, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

The disease has slowly spread to states in the West, including in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, officials said.

It typically appears in older walleye fish, but there have been reports of it being found in adult perch.

Signs a fish has ‘Sandy Flesh’

To spot the disease, a fish must be cut open, officials said. An infected fish will “look semi-translucent, or yellowish brown, with knotted muscle fibers.”

It can also appear to look like freezer burn or “granular with mineral deposits.”

If someone comes across an infected fish, officials said they shouldn’t throw it back into the water. Instead, they should throw it away with other household waste or bury it.

Take a photo before it’s tossed.

“We urge anyone who finds Sandy Flesh in a fish to report it to CPW immediately and provide good, high-resolution photographs,” officials said in the release.

How did the disease begin?

Officials have known about the disease for decades, but the cause of the disease is not known. Officials also don’t know how it’s transmitted.

The disease doesn’t normally impact large numbers of fish, officials said. Experts don’t think people can get the disease from the fish.

“It’s not a shock that it has reached Colorado since it occurs in so many neighboring states, but it is unfortunate,” aquatic biologist Carrie Tucker said in the release.

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