Project: Epidemiology of Whirling Disease in the Missouri River Ecosystem

Primary Investigator: Thomas McMahon
Project Summary: This work was part of a long-term study assessing the spread of whirling disease among rainbow trout in the Missouri River near Helena, Montana. The disease was not observed to spread significantly between 1999 and 2000. It showed a widely varying effect on recruitment of yearling fish from tributary streams. Its effects have now spread to several year classes, such that a collapse of the fishery appears imminent. Fish otolith microchemistry did not demonstrate sufficiently fine discrimination to allow individual fish to be traced to their tributaries of origin. Wild yearling fish were shown to be quite susceptible to infection as they migrate downstream.
Funding Period: 2000-2001
Final Report: McMahon_00-01.pdf
Dataset(s) associated with this project:

There are no datasets associated with this project.