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Source: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/...0059947/DEC+gets+assistance+from+duck+hunters
DEC gets assistance from duck hunters
AVIAN FLU WATCH: Department testing fowl as part of national early detection program[/B]
By NANCY MADSEN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2008
As waterfowl hunters visited the headquarters of the Perch River Wildlife Management Area on Saturday, they did not just report their take as required, they also assisted a national program watching for avian influenza.
William S. Huffman, a fish and wildlife technician from the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Albany office, took swab samples from waterfowl. DEC is the state partner in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Early Detection Data System.
There are multiple strains of avian influenza, or bird flu. But only one is dangerous for birds and humans.
According to the World Health Organization, there have been 387 cases worldwide of the H5N1 strain of bird flu infecting humans since 2003 and 245 people, or 63.3 percent, died as a result of the virus.
It does not pass from person to person efficiently. But it is highly lethal and still evolving; many experts believe it has the potential to cause a pandemic.
The dangerous H5N1 strain has not been found in North America yet, but state and federal agencies want to identify it quickly if infected birds are present. In Region 6, DEC is conducting similar testing this weekend at Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area in Louisville. This weekend is the opening one for waterfowl hunting.
Mr. Huffman will take samples from birds from through February, hopefully about 800 in total. He swabs the birds' throats and cloacae. The samples are sent to Cornell Diagnostic Laboratory in Ithaca.
This weekend, "The priority is mallards and divers," Mr. Huffman said. "Everyone's been very cooperative."
Irene M. Mazzocchi, wildlife biologist with DEC Region 6, said the opening weekend gives the department a lot of birds to sample.
"This is the only time we handle this many ducks at once," she said. "It's just an efficient way to do this."
Meanwhile, Region 6 staff are collecting the numbers of hunters and the waterfowl they take this weekend. On Saturday, 159 people came to hunt waterfowl at Perch River WMA, which is 20 more than last year. In 2007, 83 percent of the hunters took at least one bird. This year, about 75 percent of the hunters had at least one bird.
"Our numbers are a little down, but they're not totally outrageous," Ms. Mazzocchi said. "There's so much water, I think they're dispersed. They're not concentrated."
DEC staff did see a goldeneye and a ruddy duck for the first time since 1998.
Each hunter turns in his or her license and waterfowl stamp at the headquarters building in order to receive a permit. When hunters return, they get their license back and give the department information on the ducks they took.
On Saturday, many hunters had comments about the water level.
"It's deep. It's really deep," said Kevin R. Jamieson, Rochester. "It was cold at the start."
He and his hunting partner, Michael P. Rogers, also of Rochester, both went underwater. Still, Mr. Jamieson got the limit of six birds and Mr. Rogers had five.
"In past years, we've seen more ducks," Mr. Rogers said. "A lot of birds aren't here. There are too many places to hide."
DEC gets assistance from duck hunters
AVIAN FLU WATCH: Department testing fowl as part of national early detection program[/B]
By NANCY MADSEN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2008
As waterfowl hunters visited the headquarters of the Perch River Wildlife Management Area on Saturday, they did not just report their take as required, they also assisted a national program watching for avian influenza.
William S. Huffman, a fish and wildlife technician from the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Albany office, took swab samples from waterfowl. DEC is the state partner in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Early Detection Data System.
There are multiple strains of avian influenza, or bird flu. But only one is dangerous for birds and humans.
According to the World Health Organization, there have been 387 cases worldwide of the H5N1 strain of bird flu infecting humans since 2003 and 245 people, or 63.3 percent, died as a result of the virus.
It does not pass from person to person efficiently. But it is highly lethal and still evolving; many experts believe it has the potential to cause a pandemic.
The dangerous H5N1 strain has not been found in North America yet, but state and federal agencies want to identify it quickly if infected birds are present. In Region 6, DEC is conducting similar testing this weekend at Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area in Louisville. This weekend is the opening one for waterfowl hunting.
Mr. Huffman will take samples from birds from through February, hopefully about 800 in total. He swabs the birds' throats and cloacae. The samples are sent to Cornell Diagnostic Laboratory in Ithaca.
This weekend, "The priority is mallards and divers," Mr. Huffman said. "Everyone's been very cooperative."
Irene M. Mazzocchi, wildlife biologist with DEC Region 6, said the opening weekend gives the department a lot of birds to sample.
"This is the only time we handle this many ducks at once," she said. "It's just an efficient way to do this."
Meanwhile, Region 6 staff are collecting the numbers of hunters and the waterfowl they take this weekend. On Saturday, 159 people came to hunt waterfowl at Perch River WMA, which is 20 more than last year. In 2007, 83 percent of the hunters took at least one bird. This year, about 75 percent of the hunters had at least one bird.
"Our numbers are a little down, but they're not totally outrageous," Ms. Mazzocchi said. "There's so much water, I think they're dispersed. They're not concentrated."
DEC staff did see a goldeneye and a ruddy duck for the first time since 1998.
Each hunter turns in his or her license and waterfowl stamp at the headquarters building in order to receive a permit. When hunters return, they get their license back and give the department information on the ducks they took.
On Saturday, many hunters had comments about the water level.
"It's deep. It's really deep," said Kevin R. Jamieson, Rochester. "It was cold at the start."
He and his hunting partner, Michael P. Rogers, also of Rochester, both went underwater. Still, Mr. Jamieson got the limit of six birds and Mr. Rogers had five.
"In past years, we've seen more ducks," Mr. Rogers said. "A lot of birds aren't here. There are too many places to hide."