A debilitating parasite that causes a fatal disease in fish has been confirmed in British Columbia for the first time, four months after a suspected case in the Rockies caused several bodies of water to be closed.
Emerald Lake and several nearby lakes in B.C.’s Yoho National Park, roughly 175 kilometres northwest of Calgary, were shuttered after a suspected case of whirling disease was found last September.
Parks Canada said on Friday that further testing confirmed the presence of whirling disease in Emerald Lake. It also confirmed the disease had spread to bodies of water in the Kootenay River watershed.
“It’s definitely very concerning,” said Robyn Hooper, executive
