All Waterbodys Are Now Closed In Kootenay & Yoho National Parks

To prevent the spread of whirling disease, all waterbodies in Yoho and Kootenay national parks are closed to watercraft and angling until March 31st, 2025. Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta is also restricting non-motorized watercraft from outside of the park’s boundaries.

This closure is necessary to protect vulnerable fish populations and sensitive ecosystems from aquatic invasive species. Once established, it is very difficult to eradicate.. There is no treatment for whirling disease and the mortality rate in young fish is 90%. Whirling disease is not a risk to human health but has already been detected in Alberta and more recently, B.C.