Parks Canada closes B.C.'s Emerald Lake due to suspected case of whirling disease
Parks Canada says it is investigating a suspected case of whirling disease in Emerald Lake in B.C.'s Yoho National Park.
It marks the first time whirling disease has been detected in B.C., according to Parks Canada.
Whirling disease is harmless to humans, but can devastate fish populations if unchecked.
"Young fish (juvenile salmonids), such as rainbow trout and brook trout, are particularly susceptible to whirling disease, with mortality rates reaching up to 90 per cent," Parks Canada said in a release.
"Once established, whirling disease is nearly impossible to eradicate."
To contain the possible spread, Parks Canada has closed Emerald Lake, Emerald River, Peaceful Pond and Lone Duck Lake, along with shorelines and tributaries, to all members of the public until further notice.
Shelley Humphries, the aquatic specialist for Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks, said the test results came back late Tuesday afternoon from samples that were collected on Aug. 21.
"We had a few hits from a few fish that were sampled of a larger number of fish so we need to go back to do some additional testing just to confirm that it's really there and not some sort of artifact from the lab," she told CTV News Friday.
The closures have been put in place to prevent anyone from accidentally spreading whirling disease to other water bodies, she said.
"As of today we've closed lake for water activity like using your personal, stand up paddle board or angling just to provide as much protection to the park that we can."
The disease is caused by a microscopic parasite called Myxobolus cerebralis that requires two hosts: a Tubifex worm and a salmonid fish.
The parasite affects a fish's nerves and damages cartilage, which can cause the fish to swim in a whirling or tail-chasing behaviour.
"It can cause their populations to crash. Some fish are really dramatically affected," Humphries said.
"But we have to emphasize that this is absolutely not human issue – this is a fish disease and ecological integrity issue for the park."
'ACCIDENTALLY SPREAD'
Whirling disease has been accidentally spread throughout North America since it was introduced from Europe several decades ago.
That transmission comes most easily with the transport of infected fish and fish carcasses, but Humphries says the parasite can survive in the lake itself too.
"It can be found in the mud, in the plants or even the water. So if people leave with a dirty boat and go launch in another location, that's one of the suspected ways it's being transmitted around."
Humphries says people can also spread whirling disease by wading into one lake and then wading in another in the same day.
Nearly three years ago, conservation officers drained Banff National Park's Johnson Lake and removed all of its fish after Canada's first case of whirling disease was found there in 2016.
Humphries says Parks Canada's key strategy to prevent the spread of whirling disease has been communication with visitors.
"Since 2018, Parks Canada and Yoho National Park has been implementing a permitting system and communication around people, needing them to clean, drain and dry all of their equipment," she said.
"If people clean all obviously mud off their equipment, if they dry it and get rid of all the water and dry it for up to 48 hours, then they have very little chance of being able to transmit this or any other aquatic invasive species."
Anyone who violates the closure order can face a fine of up to $25,000.
(With files from Kevin Fleming)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.