More Whirling Disease Found

[PeterSL]

CBC reports:

 

"A deadly fish disease that has already spread through Banff National Park has now infected a wide swath of territory to the south, including Waterton Lakes National Park.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) declared the entire Oldman River watershed infected on Monday, including all streams, creeks, lakes and rivers feeding into the river.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has declared the Oldman River watershed infected with whirling disease, expanding the reach of the deadly fish illness far to the south from where it was previously detected in the Bow River watershed. (Government of Alberta)

This comes after the CFIA declared the entire Bow River watershed infected with whirling disease in February.

Monday's declaration expands the impacted area southward, all the way to the Canada-U.S. border.

Despite the declaration, Alberta Environment and Parks said there are currently no plans to change fishing regulations in the Oldman River basin.

The CFIA said the rest of Alberta remains a "buffer zone" for the disease, meaning all provincial aquaculture facilities and Class A fish farms will have to test fish for whirling disease.

Those wanting to stock fish from the affected area would also have to implement "approved biosecurity protocols" in order to obtain a permit from the CFIA.