With the recent opening of fishing season new signs proclaiming the arrival of Whirling Disease found in Chain Lakes close to High River is a worry for anglers.

Despite what looks like a spread in the disease, Senior Fisheries Biologist Clayton James says it might not be as bad as it looks.

"These additional confirmed cases of the parasite are more of an indication of our progress with sampling and testing as opposed to the actual spread of the disease but that also doesn't mean that it's not spreading either."

Originally, Canada was thought to be free of the disease until it was discovered in a Banff National Park Lake back in 2016.

After the discovery more resources were dedicated to the research and surveillance of it.

James says the disease is caused by a pesky little parasite that is not harmful to humans or our pets.

"Whirling Disease is a disease that's caused by a microscopic parasite. It affects two hosts - One host would be a fish and the other host is an aquatic worm. When the parasite affects the fish it can actually cause damage to their cartilage which can lead to deformities in the head, the spine or the gills of affected fish." James adds "This can sometimes lead to changes in tail colour, and cause them to look black or it could lead to abnormal swimming patterns like a tail chasing pattern or a whirling pattern which is where the disease gets it's name. The only species this parasite can negatively affect is fish."

Anglers and recreational users can help to mitigate the chance of spreading the parasite by thoroughly cleaning boats and other fishing gear or equipment between uses. James shares, the waters in Southern Alberta are mostly free of the disease, so with the help of the fishing and boating community, we could prevent the spread.

"Even though we've detected it in the Bow River drainage and in the Old Man River drainage down south, it isn't in all rivers, streams and water bodies down south. So there is still a lot that anglers can do by taking extra precautions to clean their gear to prevent it spreading into other uninfected areas. James says "Whether they're anglers or recreational boat users, we ask that to help prevent the spread of Whirling Disease, is to clean, drain and dry their gear and any equipment after they're out on the water. We usually ask that they try to dry their gear for a good 24 hours, if possible as that helps to kill the parasite."

If you come across a fish that you believe to have Whirling Disease, James asks you mark the time, date and location and send off the info.

"We ask that you do put the fish back and not to disturb or remove any fish that you suspect have Whirling Disease. If you could obtain a photo of what you suspect is Whirling Disease whether you see a spinal deformity or a black tail, that would be very very helpful to us. So is providing the location, date and time will actually help us direct our surveillance efforts when looking for the parasite moving forward."

More information on Whirling Disease can be found on the Government of Alberta Website.

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