Atlantic brant victims of
die-off in wildlife refuge
Due to a recent die-off, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is recommending that hunters do not shoot, handle or consume Atlantic brant until further notice.
Atlantic brant is a small, brown, black and white maritime goose that breeds in the Canadian arctic and winters along the Atlantic coast. Approximately 75 percent of the population winters in New Jersey.
"We urge hunters to stay clear of Atlantic brant, especially those behaving abnormally," said state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Shinn. "As soon as we know the cause of these deaths, we will revise our recommendations accordingly."
Roughly 450 dead Atlantic brant have been collected from the Brigantine Unit of Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Atlantic County, according to Refuge Manager Steve Atzert of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tests are under way to determine the cause of death.
The diagnostic effort is being conducted jointly by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Wildlife Health and Forensics; the National Wildlife Health Center, Wisconsin; the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Services.
The principal site of the Atlantic brant die-off at the refuge has been the impoundments, which have been closed to the public. All carcasses have been picked up and burned on site to limit the potential spread of disease organisms.
Pathologists have ruled out chemical and pesticide contamination as the cause of death, according to Dr. Kimberli Miller, a veterinarian with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center. Preliminary tests for some bacteria were negative, though additional tests for bacteria and viruses are under way.
The Atlantic brant hunting season resumed in the coastal zones on Nov. 23, and runs through Jan. 9. (The season was open previously Nov. 4-14).
Brant hunters harvested approximately 6,600 brant in the 1999-2000 hunting season. Other harvested species including ducks, Canada geese and snow geese, do not appear to be involved in the die-off.
In January, roughly 157,000 Atlantic brant were counted in the Atlantic Flyway; of these more than 120,000 were in New Jersey, mainly in the coastal salt marshes and estuaries.
Hunters, anglers and the general public are asked to report the location of any sick or dead waterfowl to Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge at (609) 652-1665.