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About Oregon news herald. (Drain OR) 2025-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2025)
Page 12 Story by Scooter Brown January 2025 Invasive Species Reported on McKenzie Eugene, OR – ODFW staff responded to a report made to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline on Wednesday, Dec. 18, that a koi (fish) was spotted near the Armitage Boat Landing on the McKenzie River near Eugene. District fish biologists removed the large koi which was most likely intentionally released into the McKenzie River. Koi can live up to 25 years, reproduce rapidly, and sediments while uprooting and consuming aquatic plants which can reduce forage and cover for waterfowl and other animals. Once non-native species are introduced to a waterbody, they are nearly impossible to remove. Help spread the word to never dump unwanted fish or aquarium contents in or near waterways, streams, ponds, lakes, or stormwater drains. It can have serious ecological consequences and can ruin recreational opportunities for future generations of Oregonians. ODFW staff appreciate the report to the Invasive Species Hotline. Non-native, invasive species, such as koi, can be reported to the hotline at 1-866-INVADER. Bird Flu - Developments and Concerns Most human cases of bird flu in the U.S. involve people who had direct contact with infected cattle or livestock. Overall, there have been 66 confirmed cases of bird flu involving humans across 10 states, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. California has the highest number of cases with 37. Most bird flu cases affecting humans in the U.S. have been mild, and patients have typically recovered after receiving antiviral medication. Federal health officials have begun testing raw cow’s milk cheese and raw milk nationwide to test for bird flu. It’s not likely that we can do much about the developments around the country, whether it’s figuring out how to protect our house pets, our small farm animals as well as commercial farms and now even zoo’s and protected animal habitats. But, ultimately we need to monitor the data, where ever it is, correlate that data across all of the data streams and construct some real time mechanisms to control against outbreaks and create effective prevention and treatment. The Government has a public indictment to inform and disseminate all of the burgeoning scientific and anecdotal information, discoveries and developments, regarding H5N1, to the public at large. OFWC Adopts 2025 Groundfish Regulations Story by Scooter Brown can survive very cold winters. Mature koi can produce 5,000 to 10,000 eggs and the largest koi can lay 500,000 eggs. “Introduced, non-native fish can spread deadly diseases to wild fish populations,” said Jeff Ziller, ODFW District Fish Biologist. “There are plenty of examples in other states and countries where koi have damaged or changed aquatic ecosystems so extensively that vast amounts of public resources have been allocated to eradicate them, largely unsuccessfully,” added Ziller. Koi are omnivores with a voracious appetite, consuming fish and amphibian eggs, aquatic insects, and competing with native fish for food. They also stir up Continued from Page 10 Oregon News Herald NIH-funded study finds risk of human infection continues to remain low, but mutation in H5N1 influenza surface protein could enable easier human infection . A single modification in the protein found on the surface of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus currently circulating in U.S. dairy cows could allow for easier transmission among humans, according to new research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published today in the journal Science. The study results reinforce the need for continued, vigilant surveillance and monitoring of HPAI H5N1 for potential genetic changes that could make the virus more transmissible in humans. Current strains of the bovine (cow) H5N1 virus are not known to be transmissible among people; however, infections have occurred in people exposed to infected wild birds, poultry, dairy cows and other mammals. As part of pandemic preparedness efforts, researchers have monitored the H5N1 virus for years to understand viral genetic mutations that occur in nature Image of three orange rod shaped H5N1/bird flu particles against a purple background. H5N1 avian influenza particles (rod-shaped; orange)NIAID and CDC and what impact they may have on transmissibility. Influenza viruses attach to cells with a surface viral protein called hemagglutinin (HA). The HA latches on to sugar (glycan) molecule receptors on cells to cause infection. Avian (bird) influenza viruses—like H5N1—have not infected people often because the human upper respiratory tract lacks the avian-type cell receptors found in birds. Scientists are concerned that viruses could evolve to recognize human-type cell receptors in the upper airways and acquire the ability to infect people and spread between them. Scientists at Scripps Research used the H5N1 strain isolated from the first U.S. human infection with the bovine strain 2.3.4.4b (A/Texas/37/2024) to test how mutations in the HA gene sequence affected the binding of that protein with avian versus human-type cell receptors. The researchers introduced several mutations into the viral HA protein that had been observed to occur naturally in the past and found that one mutation, called Q226L, improved the ability of the protein to attach to receptors typically found on human cells, especially when an additional mutation was present. Importantly, the researchers introduced the genetic mutations only into the HA surface protein and did not create or conduct experiments with a whole, infectious virus. The experimental finding with the Q226L mutation alone does not mean HPAI H5N1 is on the verge of causing a widespread pandemic, the authors note. Other genetic mutations would likely be required for the virus to transmit among people. In the setting of a growing number of H5N1 human cases resulting from direct contact with infected animals, the findings stress the importance of continued efforts at outbreak control and continued genomic surveillance to monitor for the emergence of HPAI H5N1 genetic changes and maintain public health preparedness. The research was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), through its Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response program. Salem OR — The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted 2025 recreational and commercial groundfish regulations at their meeting on December 13th 2024, in Salem that continue a five-fish recreational bag limit during the popular summer months. Nearshore groundfish species (approximately a dozen species of rockfish, cabezon, greenlings, and lingcod) are subject to joint state and federal management. The recent (2023) stock assessment for both black rockfish and canary rockfish resulted in a reduced quota for Oregon’s fisheries. While the year will start with a four- fish daily marine bag limit, the bag limit increases to five fish starting July 1 (with a one-fish sub-bag limit of canary rockfish all year). ODFW heard support for this approach during meetings earlier in the year when it asked for public feedback on how to accommodate the reduced quotas. This approach is expected to provide a stable fishery throughout the year, with a low risk that the bag limit will need to be further reduced in-season. The increased bag limit during the popular summer months will provide the most opportunity as many visitors come to the Oregon coast to vacation and fish during summer and ocean conditions are also much better. The commercial nearshore fishery’s bi-monthly trip limits are also reduced for 2025. ODFW is seeking to collect more data on black rockfish to increase confidence in survey data and hopefully increase the quota; the 2025 reduction in quota would have been larger but for ODFW assessment data. The Commission also took the following actions: Fish Restoration and Enhancement Program: Appointed Winter Rhodes as the Public at Large Representative to the R&E Board effective Jan. 1, 2025. They also heard updates on the R&E program, which distributes grants for fishery restoration and enhancement projects throughout the state, and on the STEP (Salmon Trout Enhancement) program, which runs hatcheries, the Egg to Fry program in Oregon’s classrooms, educational fishing events and other programs thru a network of dedicated volunteers. Access and Habitat Project Funding: Approved funding to match NRCS funds and help continue the Open Fields program, which provides hunting access to more than half a million acres on private land. The grant will also help fund an expedited approval process for other landowners who want to join the program. Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program: Approved ODFW’s acquisition of three properties adjacent to Fern Ridge Wildlife Area’s South Coyote Unit that build upon local and regional conservation efforts to protect Willamette Valley native wet prairie and riparian habitats. Funding for the acquisition comes from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as part of an agreement to settle BPA wildlife habitat mitigation obligations in the Willamette Valley. Oregon Agricultural Heritage Commission: Approved recommending sheep and hay farmer Mark Vargas of Medford for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board’s appointment to the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Commission as a fish and wildlife habitat Continued on Page 15
