Pond fertilizer may help spread bird flu

United Press International ^ | 12/28/2005

[hedgetrimmer]

LONDON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Fertilizing fish ponds with poultry feces to promote fish growth -- a common practice in Asia -- may set up reservoirs of bird flu, say British researchers.

BirdLife International -- a Cambridge, England,-based umbrella organization for bird protection groups in 100 countries -- says if chickens infected with bird flu are providing the manure for fish ponds, that could be how the new potentially deadly strain of avian influenza, H5N1, is being spread, reported the Independent Wednesday.

BirdLife says outbreaks of H5N1 have occurred in locations in China, Romania and Croatia where there are fish farms.

The Chinese outbreak of H5N1 that took place last May at Qinghai Lake -- an integrated livestock fish farm -- involved bar-headed geese, leading to speculation that the virus was spread via wild birds.

"This outbreak helped lead to the widespread media speculation about wild birds spreading H5N1," said Richard Thomas from BirdLife. "We pointed out that bar-headed geese migrate from India, where H5N1 has never occurred, and migrate early, so they must have contracted the disease locally, at Qinghai."

[hedgetrimmer]

The FAO (a subsidiary organization of the United Nations), which is monitoring the global spread of bird flu, supports the practice whereby feces from farm animals are used to boost fish production.

The excrement is used to boost nutrients in water for the organisms the fish feed on.

Domenech told Reuters there was a theoretical risk of fish farms becoming a source of infection if excrement from infected poultry were poured into the ponds.

It could create "an infection outbreak in the environment, in the water, which can be the source of contamination of other birds which come to drink there."

[Lazamataz]

Fertilizing fish ponds with poultry feces to promote fish growth -- a common practice in Asia -- may set up reservoirs of bird flu, say British researchers.

Fish flu?

[Termite_Commander]

I thought the pond fertilizer idea had been disproven, to an extent. I mean, it does seem somewhat logical that if you take infected chicken droppings and dump them in a pond, it's bad, but I thought some "expert" already said it wasn't possible to spread H5N1 from it. Hmm.

[billorites]

"Fertilizing fish ponds with poultry feces to promote fish growth..."

Fertilizing? They're feeding the fish chickens**t.

[leadhead]

This is also done at crab farms in Indonesia, where most of the US crab cake meat comes from.

[Termite_Commander]

Great, now we can't eat poultry (bird flu), pork (offends Muslims), beef (mad cow), fish (fish flu) or spam (offends taste buds). We'll have to survive on celery now.

[hedgetrimmer]

FYI

[x1stcav]

Fish Flue?

No, flush flue.

I've been avoiding seafood from Asian countries for some time now as, having spent a bit of time out there, I can attest to the fact that their standards are, shall we say, different than ours when it comes to sanitation.

Actually, it's not chicken crap that I'm altogether concerned about.

It's not so much seafood harvested from the open waters as it is that so much of it is farmed now and there is no way, I'm aware of, that one can tell the difference.

Then, too, I'm avoiding produce from Mexico and the rest of Central/South America.

Chilean wine bing the exception.

[Termite_Commander]

A very gross thought, but the bird flu virus can't withstand being cooked. Properly, that is. Also, the virus would have to mutate significantly to be able to travel inside crabs, and then it would need to mutate significantly to get into humans from the crabs.

Although I do find it somewhat disgusting that crabs are fed chicken dung, I don't think we have to worry about catching bird flu from 'em.

[Termite_Commander]

Please refrain from going into greater detail. I beseech you.

[hedgetrimmer]

Its interesting to note that the UN promotes a variety of farming practices that are harmful to human health. One such practice, grazing sheep or goats in orchards, lead to the e coli contamination of almonds grown in California a few years ago, and a massive recall of almond products. The farmer who used 'organic' practices proselytized by the UN and FAO, ended up contaminating his crop.

[YouPosting2Me]

Mom, I don't feel good... I think I have the Fish! (I feel like sh!t)

[YouPosting2Me]

Don't eat those sh!t sticks, they'll give you the flu.

[hedgetrimmer]

I don't think we have to worry about catching bird flu from 'em.

The worry is that the virus will spread to our food supply and contaminate our flocks, which will then have to be destroyed. The impact could be economically devastating.

[YouPosting2Me]

Flying Flu Fish?

[null and void]

Chilean wine being the exception.

A man has to have some standards!

[Mercat]

so now is it fish flu and I can't eat asian cat fish?

[Termite_Commander]

Sure, I agree. But getting it from crabs would be very difficult. That's all I'm saying.

[x1stcav]

Mine aren't high but they're standards nevertheless.

[hedgetrimmer]

Maybe the bird flu is just a plot to fund the FAO.

Kayan Jaff, FAO representative in the UAE, told Khaleej Times after a workshop on bird flu organised by Abu Dhabi Police---said FAO put together a detailed strategy to fight the bird flu in Asian countries at a cost of some $100 million to support the monitoring, diagnoses and other preventive measures, in addition to vaccination procedures. The donations from the participating countries had aggregated only $25 million until now, he noted.