Whirling disease falls on Huntington Creek

Whirling disease continues to spread here in Utah. Its most recent victim is Huntington Creek, one of Utah's recognized blue-ribbon waters.

According to officials of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, of 60 fish tested for the disease, six were positive.

Huntington Creek flows from Electric Lake south along State Road 31 toward the town of Huntington. It has been a very popular fishing spot for area fishermen, as well as those camping in the Manti-LaSal National Forest.

The discovery of the disease does not surprise fish biologists. The disease was discovered last year in tributaries that flow into Huntington Creek. It was, as one biologist pointed out, only a matter of time.

Already, the disease has cost the DWR millions of dollars in sportsman's money.

Last year, the disease was found in the Springville fish hatchery. Officials had no choice but to destroy between 800,000 and 900,000 fish. A quarter-million of those fish were catchable size.

The loss of the Springville hatchery was especially disturbing since it was the state's largest producer of fish. It was responsible for raising 17 percent to 18 percent of the fish stocked annually. Production at other hatcheries has been stepped up to make up for the loss.

Two other hatcheries have also been hit. The disease was discovered in the Midway hatchery in 2000 and the Mammoth Creek hatchery in 2002.

To help protect these hatcheries from being re-infected costs millions of dollars. Among other things, raceways, where larger fish are raised, must be completely covered to prevent access to animals, which can spread the disease.

Fishermen are believed to be the main carrier. The disease can be transported in mud stuck to anglers' waders and shoes. It can also be carried in mud on vehicles.

Whirling disease was first found in a private hatchery in Loa in 1991 that was owned and operated by the family of former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt. While under quarantine, fish from that hatchery were illegally shipped to a private hatchery near Logan, which became contaminated. The Leavitt family has since gotten out of the fish-ranching business.

Since that time, whirling disease has spread to a large number of public waters, including such popular areas as Porcupine, Causey, Logan River, Provo River, Weber River, Ogden River and Otter Creek. It has also been found in the Green River above Flaming Gorge and more recently in waters on the south slopes of the Uintas, including the Duchesne River and waters around Altamont.

It was also reported last year that all but one of the state's 10 commercial fish growers tested positive for whirling disease.

The disease starts with a parasite. It is spread by small worms, called tubiflex, which eat the parasite, which in turn are eaten by fish. The parasite causes, among other things, a curving of the spine in fish, which causes them to swim in circles — or whirl — and eventually die. The disease does not affect humans.

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