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addition of another full-time pathologist and 70 months of temporary time. The Aquatic Wildlife Section redirected $550,000 to study WD and state hatchery cleanup. Another $155,000 was allocated toward WD research out of discretionary funds (Appendix D). These efforts are ongoing and will continue for at least the next 3 or 4 years. Management and control of WD is an exceedingly difficult task for many reasons. Failure to recognize the potential threat to wild trout early in the process undoubtedly facilitated the spread in the wild. The extreme complexity of the life cycle of the parasite and its dynamic interaction with environmental factors make documenting effects very difficult. These characteristics of the parasite pose daunting problems for containment and control with existing technologies. Extensive dependence upon stocked trout for fishing recreation in Colorado has become a complicated issue as more of the state's fish culture facilities have tested positive for the MC pathogen. Protection of the aquatic resources of the state from the potential effects of WD should be concentrated on two fronts. First, we must do everything we can to stop unwittingly exposing native cutthroat and wild trout populations and habitats to the MC parasite. Second, we must attempt to eliminate this fish pathogen in fish culture facilities. Research in Colorado over the past 8 years suggests that the stocking of WD+ salmonids from fish culture facilities has been the primary mode of exposure and contamination of wild trout habitats. If we are successful in eliminating the human-related transmission of WD, and do the best possible job of containing and eliminating the pathogen from public and private fish culture facilities, we will have made considerable progress in reducing the threat of WD to Colorado's native cutthroat and wild trout. Accomplishments and Recommendations Related to Whirling Disease Much has been accomplished since 1994, but much more remains to be done. Based on current knowledge, WD is likely to persist in aquatic environments already compromised by the MC pathogen. We are assuming it is unlikely the parasite will disappear on its own. We are also assuming it is unlikely in the short-term that fish species known to be susceptible to WD will adapt and become resistant to the parasite. We will probably have to learn to live with and manage around WD as another environmental constraint, and try to minimize the debilitating effects of the parasite on wild salmonid populations. To do this effectively, we will need to continue and expand the research efforts that have been ongoing since 1994. Since January 1994, the DOW Aquatic Research Section, fish management biologists, and the staff at the Fish Health Lab have undertaken and/or accomplished a number of major tasks, including: 8