In a continuation of its effort to reverse its plague of whirling disease, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has discovered a way to attack the problem from the ground up — with the help of worms.
Researchers have found indications that the lineage of tubifex worm responsible for spreading the disease may be susceptible to invasion from another “clean” lineage. Only the worm termed Lineage 3 carries the spores that cause the disease. Among four other types of tubifex found in Colorado, Lineage 6 has demonstrated a tendency to roust the offending L3 out.
That already has occurred at Windy Gap on the upper Colorado River, where an once-overwhelming infestation of L3 tubifex now represents just 5 percent of the worm population.
“The good news is that 6 likes the same habitat as 3 and shows signs of replacing it,” said Barry Nehring, the Division of Wildlife researcher who has launched a landmark project to prove this out. “We didn’t know about this lineage stuff until just recently.”
DOW has dusted off its old Bel Aire Hatchery property on the White River near Buford, where both worms and the Hofer rainbow trout have been linked in a study that could turn the worm for the good.
The White River contains a preponderance of L6 worms, “so thick you can gather a bucket full in an hour,” Nehring said.
The notion, Nehring said, is to get the L6 established in aquaculture to be planted as a possible substitute for the offending form. This will prove particularly important for high-elevation cutthroat trout waters, where recovery programs for native trout are threatened by whirling disease.
Charlie Meyers
