B.C.’s Columbia River basin has been declared a contaminated area for vertebral disease, a parasite that causes fish deformities and has a high mortality rate.

Monday’s statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency places restrictions on the movement of live or dead fish and equipment from the Columbia River Basin to other waterways.

The agency says activities that now require permits include transporting used aquaculture equipment and moving fish or sediment samples for testing purposes.

The disease was first discovered in the Columbia River Basin in December, according to a statement from the agency.

The rest of BC has been declared a buffer area for the disease, meaning the disease can occur but its presence has not yet been confirmed.

There is no known treatment for whirling disease, which is caused by a parasite and causes fish to swim in unusual circular patterns.

The inspection service says it has a 90 percent mortality rate and that once introduced, elimination of the parasite from wild fish populations is usually not possible.

It says that whirling disease does not pose a health risk to people or pets, and that infected fish are safe to eat.

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