Montana's Yellowstone River Closes: Deadly Parasite Kills Thousands of Fishes [DETAILS]
Thousands of Fishes Left Dead in Popular Yellowstone River
A deadly parasite has been killing off thousands of fishes in the Yellowstone River in Montana, US.
Along with closing the river, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks have banned any water-based recreation and ordered the closure of the Park. This includes the Yellowstone National Park's northern boundary at Gardiner up to the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel.
Yellowstone River Closure, Water-Based Recreation Ceased
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In a press statement, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced that the Yellowstone River will be closed. All water-based recreation including swimming, floating, boating, fishing and tubing are to be ceased. The closure is in response to the thousands of dead fishes found in the river that is said to be caused by a deadly parasite.
There were over 2,000 dead Mountain Whitefish found in the Yellowstone River in the last couple of days but by Friday, there have been 4,000. It is estimated that the total number of fishes that have been killed off by the parasite is in the tens of thousands.
The rangers sent water samples to the US and Wildlife Service Fish Health Center and the results came back saying that the fish had collective Profilerative Kidney Disease. It is considered to be one of the big killers of Whitefish and is caused by a microscopic parasite.
Fish-Killing Parasite Not Native in Montana
The parasite has only been found in two parts of Montana in the last couple of decades. However, there have been outbreaks caused by the parasite in Idaho, Orego and Washington, NPR reported. The deadly parasite thrives in conditions such as high temperatures, low flowing river and many more. The parasite is not known to cause harm in humans, according to the officials.
Montana officials said that the deadly parasite is not native in Yellowstone River and this means that it could have gotten there via a contaminated boat, birds or from humans, Fox News noted. People are being asked to decontaminate their equipment and boats in decontamination stations in the Park to limit the spread of the disease.
Yellowstone River Closure Could Last Long
According to a report by Reuters, experts are observing and monitoring the Yellowstone River. The report said that only a part of the river is closed off and this did not include the upstream river inside the park. It is not known how long the closure will last but it will definitely not be good for business as it can cost tens and thousands of jobs including in areas for outdoor recreation, regional fishing businesses and more.
