Whirling disease confirmed in Red Deer watershed
The Red Deer River watershed is infected with whirling disease, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has declared.
“While not harmful to humans, whirling disease can severely affect juvenile trout and whitefish populations,” Alberta Environment and Parks says in a release. “The declaration covers all streams, creeks, lakes and rivers feeding into the Red Deer River, ending at the Saskatchewan border.”
The CFIA’s announcement follows declarations of infection in the Bow and Oldman River watersheds. Whirling disease was first discovered in Banff National Park in September 2016.
The province recently announced $9.3 million to fund Alberta’s three-point whirling disease action plan. As part of that plan, the Government of Alberta opened a whirling disease laboratory in Vegreville, a unique facility dedicated to determining the extent of whirling disease. Additional staff have also been hired throughout the province as part of education and mitigation efforts.