Stream fishing kicks off with reminder

LAKE COUNTY —As more and more anglers get set to hit the water with the opening of general stream fishing, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation is calling for fisherman to exercise special care to prevent the spread of whirling disease.

While the department hasn’t detected any new major sites of infection recently, the disease has spread since its initial appearance in the area in 2001.

“It’s just kind of a spring reminder, there are other invasive species too that can be carried around,” Tribal fisheries biologist Craig Barfoot said.

The disease was first detected in the Mission Creek area of the lower Flathead River. The disease intensified and spread quickly in the Mission Creek drainage following its initial detection. Whirling disease was most recently detected in the Jocko River, which originates in the Mission Mountains and runs through Arlee and Ravalli before emptying into the Flathead River near Dixon, a press release from CSKT said. The parasite has affected trout populations in varying degrees across the state since 1994,  when it was first discovered in the Madison River.

Department officials said that if fisherman take precautions like not transporting live or dead fish to new waters; properly disposing of fish remains in landfills; and, rinsing and drying all fishing equipment, boats and wading gear, prior to moving between watersheds and especially when gear was used in a known infected water, it will go a long way in preventing further spreading of the parasite.

These measures are particularly important for anglers moving between the Jocko River, Mission Creek and Post Creek drainages, where the parasite is known to exist, and other drainages, the release said.

“What we’re seeing is that it is spreading to other waters, we want to contain the spread of whirling disease as much as possible, minimize the impact to native fish population,” depart information and education specialist Germaine White said.

According to Barfoot, the parasite has a complicated life cycle and there are a variety of physical and biological factors that may influence the ultimate impact of the parasite on trout populations. The disease most severely affects young life stages of trout, particularly rainbow trout. Young fish can be deformed by the disease, making them likely more vulnerable to predators, the release said.

The Tribal Fisheries Program of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, in cooperation with specialists from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, has been conducting additional whirling disease research on several Reservation streams to better describe the extent and severity of the problem in the Jocko River and Mission Creek drainages and also to determine if the parasite has spread to other waters.