Whirling disease has wiped out about a third of the rainbow trout the state planned to stock next spring in waterways throughout New York. The disease was detected at state-run fish hatcheries in Randolph, Cattaraugus County, and in Chateaugay, Franklin County.
State policies prohibit the stocking of fish with whirling disease.
The parasitic disease causes fish contracting it to swim erratically. They can also suffer skeletal deformities. Trout and salmon species are affected by the disease, and domestic strains of rainbow trout are especially susceptible to the illness. There is no known health hazard to humans who consume fish infected with the whirling disease parasite. The precise way the infection was introduced into the fish population is unknown, DEC spokeswoman Jennifer Post said.