Whirling disease detected at another commercial fish operation in Alberta - Action News
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Whirling disease detected at another commercial fish operation in Alberta

The disease that causes affected trout and salmon to swim in a whirling pattern and die prematurely has been detected at another commercial fish operation in Alberta.

Discovery made Dec. 23, 2016, days after the disease was found at several more locations in the Bow River

Fish swimming in the water
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says whirling disease has been discovered at another commercial operation in Alberta. (File Photo/John Hart/The Associated Press)

Whirling disease has been detected at another commercial fish operation in Alberta, prompting officials to impose additional quarantines as they figure out how to deal with the problem.

In a release Wednesday, Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials said the aquatic disease had been detected Dec. 23, 2016, at a "commercial aquaculture facility licensed by the Government of Alberta."

The CFIA said it wasn't yet disclosing the location.

The release also says whirling disease was detected Dec. 16, 2016, at a number of additional locations in the Bow River in southern Alberta upstream from Wildcat Island, downstream from Wildcat Island, downstream from the confluence of Jumping Pound Creek and the Bow River, downstream from Mitford, near Willow Island and near Johnson Island.

The disease affects trout and salmon. It can cause infected fish to swim in a whirling pattern and die prematurely.

It was first detected in Johnson Lake, near Banff, on Aug. 23, 2016, and since then has been foundin nearly 50 locations.

When reached Wednesday,CFIAofficials were unavailable to comment further.

Along with being found in the Bow River and tributaries around Banff, the disease has also been detected at a commercial fish operation in the Lacombe area north of Red Deer.

A handful of operations have been placed under quarantine as officials grapple with how to eradicate the disease.

In November, officials said they are considering draining the water from Johnson Lake in an effort to expose the parasite to colder temperatures.