• Anglers should empty their live wells and bliges when they pull out of a lake and disinfecrt their live wells. A solution of one half cup of bleach in five gallons of water kills the virus.
• Do not move live fish from one location to another.
• Remove all mud, aquatic plants, and animals from all gear, boat motors, and trailers before leaving a body of water.
• When cleaning. Gutting fish, ensure that the waste products do not contact waterways.  Dispose of fish internal organs, skin, scales, heads and tails in the garbage.
• Equipment and clothing used during angling activities should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
• After angling at a waterbody known to contain VHS, clean and disinfect live wells with a 10% household bleach/water solution. Rinse well to remove residual chlorine and discard away from fish-bearing waters. Chlorine is toxic to fish.
• Empty bait fish containers, live wells and bilges away from water, in an area where the water will be absorbed into the ground.
  

Other fish diseases show similar symptoms to VHS (bleeding, bulging eyes, unusual behavior, anemia, bloated abdomen, rapid onset of death) therefore VHS must be confirmed by lab tests. Additionally, some infected fish may not show any signs and transporting these fish to new locations could spread the disease to new waters.