Whirling disease affecting fish confirmed in 6 more locations near Banff National Park

Officials have confirmed the deadly whirling disease,which affectsfish, has been found at six more locations in waterwaysnear Banff National Park.

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"Clearly, having the disease fairly well establishedin Banff National Park isn't positive news,"Roger Ramcharita, aregional director for Alberta Environment and Parks.

"We're still very hopeful that the incidences of whirling disease hasn't spread throughout the Bow [River]system."

Posted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website on Monday, the six latest locations include:

• Spray River upstream from the confluence of the Cascade River and Cascade Creek.
• Cascade Creek upstream from the confluence of the Cascade River and Cascade Creek.
• Carrot Creek upstream of the confluence of Cascade River and Cascade Creek.
• Bow River near Tunnel Mountain.
• Lower Cascade River upstream from the confluence of the Bow River and the Cascade River.
• Bow River downstream from the confluence of the Bow River and Carrot Creek.

Whirling disease affects trout and salmonand can cause infected fish to swim in a whirling pattern and die prematurely.

It was first detected in Johnson Lake on Aug. 23.

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A note on the CFIAwebsitereads "Additional detectionsof whirling disease from the ongoing sampling and testing do not mean the disease is spreading. Whirling disease may have been present for several years and the ongoing sampling will help determine the extent of the distribution and the most appropriate disease response."

Results fromfish samples taken from the Bow, South Saskatchewan and North Saskatchewan river systemsin the province will be back from the lab in October, saidRamcharita.

"At the peak, we had 10 to 15 different fisheries biologists and technicians in the field, three or four different boats at a timesampling fish, collecting fish, sending them to labs, decontaminating gear," hesaid. "It's a prettysignificantoperation we have been running for at least six weeks now."

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