[BCNnet] Bird Deaths from Botulism in Lake Erie

[Heaton.Duane@epamail.epa.gov]

BCNnet:

Although this doesn't specifically deal with Illinois, I think it's an
issue of interest to Illinois birders. Back in March, Terry Schilling
forwarded a message from the ALIENS-L listserv about this, which
implicated round gobies and quagga mussels.

Type E botulism has killed large numbers of birds in Lake Erie during
the fall for the last 3-4 years.  A recent tally of birds picked up from
the New York shores of Lake Erie from Oct. 31 through Nov. 15, 2002,
totalled 5,536 birds.  Long-tailed Ducks were hit hardest with 4,435
found, followed by 390 Red-breasted Mergansers, 214 merganser sp., and
126 Common Loons. An article in today's New York Times Science Section
reported that Canadian wildlife officials have counted more than 1,000
dead loons.  Pennsylvania has also reported large die-offs. These birds
are only a small part of the total killed.  Large numbers of mudpuppies
(an aquatic salamander) have also died this fall.  Loons and mergansers
were also the hardest hit in outbreaks during the last couple years.

Death from botulism is due to a neurotoxin produced by a bacterium. The
toxin results in a paralytic effect on birds. Many water birds drown.
Type E has been mainly restricted to fish-eating birds in the Great
Lakes, with periodic outbreaks in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron over a
20-year period from 1964 - 1983. There was also an outbreak in Lake
Huron in 1999, and a few dead gulls were found to have died from type E
botulism along Lake Ontario this past summer. So far, there have been no
recent occurrences in Lake Michigan.  (Type C botulism is the one that
sometimes kills thousands of waterfowl across the western U.S.)

Duane Heaton