Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Trout bacteria tests show strain not typical

Updated at 1:52 pm on 2 November 2011

A strain of a bacterial fish disease found in an Otago trout hatchery is not the typical strain of the disease.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries says hatchery trout were found to be infected with the Aeromonas bacteria in October.

The same bacteria had already killed hundreds of lamprey eels.

Otago Fish and Game chief executive Niall Watson is encouraged by the latest tests, saying the typical version of the bacteria is more of a concern for fish-rearing facilities.

Mr Watson says more testing is needed before it is known whether the disease is the more common atypical variant.

He says he is worried about what impact the disease could have on native fish species.

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