This photograph of a largemouth bass shows erosion of the distal edge of the caudal fin (back end of the tail). Ranked on a severity scale of 0-5 this lesion is ranked 3 (moderate erosion). There is also some loss of pigmentation on the upper portion of the caudal fin. If you look carefully,
you can see a small parasitic leech on the anal fin. It is possible for fish to recover from lesions such as these.

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To report problems or provide comments, please contact: Andrew Kane (Aquatic Pathobiology Center) at:akane@umaryland.edu Dan Jacobs (Maryland Sea Grant) at: jacobs@umbi.umd.edu

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND College of Ag & Natural Resources Department of Veterinary Medicine Aquatic Pathobiology Center