In August 2006, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that the lake was the first outside the contiguous Great Lakes waterways to be stricken with a new strain of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), an infectious fish disease responsible for mass die-offs of many species, but not linked to any human health concerns.[3][4] The disease is spread between waterways through live or frozen bait fish, roe, contaminated fishing equipment or live water wells in boats.