The Associated Press reported on Friday that Maryland had stocked several streams in the western part of the state with thousands of trout infected with Whirling Disease
. Previously, Whirling Disease had been detected only in the North Branch of the Potomac.
Ironically, Maryland was the first state to enact a ban on felt-soled waders
— legislation designed to prevent the spread of epidemics like Whirling Disease — and that ban had taken effect on April 22, just two weeks before officials planted the diseased fish.
Read more about the disease in “Whirling Disease: 15 Years Later.”