Canada - Thousands of dead birds to be removed from Ontario shore

[Pathfinder]

Thousands of dead birds to be removed from Ontario shore

Updated: Sun Oct. 23 2011 2:40:36 PM

<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript> var byString = ""; var sourceString = "CTVNews.ca Staff"; if ((sourceString != "") && (byString != "")) { document.write(byString + ", "); } else { document.write(byString); } </SCRIPT>CTVNews.ca Staff

Thousands of dead birds will be collected from an Ontario shoreline on Monday as the province's Ministry of Natural Resources tries to determine what killed the waterfowl.

Officials estimate as many as 6,000 dead birds have washed up on the Georgian Bay's shoreline. The carcasses are scattered along a nearly three-kilometre stretch near Wasaga Beach.

"You just want to cry," resident Faye Ego told CTV Toronto on Saturday.
Authorities speculate that the birds may have been killed by a form of botulism after eating dead fish.

More...
http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...ontario-shore-111023/20111023/?hub=OttawaHome

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QtlqOy7YAis

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Canada - Thousands of dead birds to be removed from Ontario shore

Mon Oct 24, 04:16 PM

More birds expected to wash up dead on Ont. beach

ctvtoronto.ca

Officials suspect that thousands of dead birds washed up on the shores of Ontario's Georgian Bay were killed by botulism, Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources said on Monday.
...
Experts say the birds may have been killed by a form of botulism that is found in the algae on the bottom of the bay.

The ministry said that samples were sent to a lab for testing and that it is waiting on the official diagnosis.

Local naturalist Bob Bowles says zebra mussels filter the water and build up a high concentration of the bacteria, before being eaten by the waterfowl. The bacteria then paralyze the birds.

"They can't lift their head up, their head drops into the water and they drown. Then their bodies float to the shore," Bowles explained to CTV Toronto.
...
Bowles says he expects more birds to wash up dead in the coming weeks.

The long-tail ducks migrate early, and other birds such as loons will likely be affected as they cross the region while flying south.

Full text:
http://m.ctv.ca/topstories/20111024/ontario-birds-dead-botulism-more-coming-111024.html

 

[Emily]

Re: Canada - Thousands of dead birds to be removed from Ontario shore

There's some information here about Georgian Bay here, which is a huge bay off Lake Huron, almost as big itself as a couple of the other Great Lakes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Bay

Could a body of water so huge be that contaminated with botulism? I can see why residents want some answers about why 6,000 dead birds washed up there, when it sounds like comparatively few fish washed up. Lake Erie is having a very bad toxic algae bloom this year, the first in 20 years.

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/modis.cgi/modis?region=e&page=1
http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2011/08/07/West-Lake-Erie-again-fighting-bloom-of-algae-2.html
http://www.epa.gov/med/grosseile_site/indicators/algae-blooms.html

But if you look at the map of the Great Lakes at the Wiki link above, the western Lake Erie algal bloom is almost due south of Georgian Bay, so it would not fit in with major seasonal migratory patterns that the birds would have been exposed to toxic algae at Lake Erie and then migrated north afterwards to die. (Unless they were disoriented.)

I hope some pathology will be done.

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Canada - Thousands of dead birds to be removed from Ontario shore

Botulism in Fish and Wildlife<!--SS_END_ELEMENT(Content_title_region_element)-->

The death of large numbers of fish and wildlife on the Great Lakes is not uncommon at certain times of the year. One cause of large-scale fish and bird die-offs is Type E botulism. Small-scale die-offs caused by botulism occur annually around the Great Lakes, with the last large-scale botulism-related die-off occurring in Lake Ontario in 2007.

According to public health agencies, no cases of human illness have been attributed to outbreaks of botulism in the Great Lakes.

Type E botulism toxin is produced by a bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that naturally lives in lake bottom sediment as harmless spores. Little is known about the ecology of the bacterium, but under certain conditions ? a rich nutrient source (such as a dead animal), a complete lack of oxygen, and an optimum temperature ? the bacterium begins producing the toxin and the toxin enters the aquatic food chain, affecting fish and birds that eat fish or molluscs.

You can still harvest and eat fish and waterfowl from Ontario lakes

Health Canada and local health units advise that proper cooking and handling of food eliminates the botulism toxin. Make sure you cook all fish or waterfowl thoroughly. As always, the public should refrain from consuming sick or dying fish or waterfowl.

Keep your pets safe

Your pets could get botulism from eating the raw flesh of a contaminated bird or fish. As a precaution, make sure your pet does not eat dead fish or birds that have washed up on the shoreline.

To dispose of dead fish or birds along your shoreline

• You are responsible for disposing of dead birds and fish on your property.
• Bury them or dispose of them in the garbage.
• Wear rubber gloves or cover your hands with plastic bags while handling the carcasses, and dispose of the gloves or bags in the garbage.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling the carcasses.
• Wash any tool that came into contact with the animal with a disinfectant.

Want to report dead or dying fish or waterfowl?

• Shoreline property owners and others who want to report dead or dying waterfowl may call the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre toll-free at 1-866-673-4781.
• To report fish die-offs, call the Ministry of Natural Resources at 1-866-929-0994.

Download a PDF of this information (43 kb)

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FW/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_090632.html
<!--SS_END_ELEMENT(Content_content_region_element)-->

 

[Emily]

Re: Canada - Thousands of dead birds to be removed from Ontario shore

This is a NY state study from 2005 and it shows a recent history of botulism killing thousands of birds on one of the other Great Lakes:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/environmentdec/19126.html

Type E Botulism first appeared in southern Lake Huron in 1998 and spread to Lake Erie in 1999. In the fall of 2000, it had spread to the eastern part of Lake Erie and thousands of dead water birds were found washed up on the shoreline. DEC subsequently confirmed Type E Botulism in several species of fish and waterfowl from Lake Erie. In July of 2002, several gulls were tested around the eastern basin of Lake Ontario and many tested positive. No reports of human illnesses associated with these outbreaks have been received.