Georgia Department of Natural Resources

High numbers of black vultures (Coragyps atratus) have died from clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza A(H5N1) virus (IAV) since its initial detection in North America in November 2021. Year-round mortality in 2022 may have been maintained by conspecific scavenging. HP IAV was detected in samples from 113/134 (84.3%) dead vultures collected from seven southeastern states in 2022–23. Results indicated that 53/73 (72.6%) of those with gross evaluation in 2022–23 consistently had grossly enlarged and mottled spleen and liver. Histologically, spleens and livers of 14/14 black vultures had widespread, severe necrosis concurrent with immunohistochemical IAV labeling. Additional lesions included segmental digestive tract ulceration, necrosis, and hemorrhage from the oropharynx to the large intestine. Influenza immunolabeling was common in gonad, adrenal gland, kidney, and digestive tract. This pattern, concurrent with field observations, substantiates the digestive tract as the initial site of viral entry during ingestion of high viral doses with strong epitheliotropism. Viral spread outside of seasonal migration is concerning but likely self-limiting in black vulture populations. This efficient, self-perpetuating transmission system may warrant conservation consideration in vultures and other near-obligate scavengers. Continued monitoring of HP IAV in black vultures is needed to evaluate population trends and ecological impacts.

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America is among the largest and most successful control programs of an invasive species anywhere on the planet. The effort began more than 75 years ago; it unites multiple nations, states, and provinces with the common goal of controlling this invasive species and protecting a valuable fishery. The science-based control program is administered by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), a body arising from a treaty signed by the United States and Canada. In the present article, we share 10 lessons learned from decades of successful sea lamprey control with the hopes of informing ongoing and future control programs targeting biological invasions. The 10 lessons we identified are to act boldly in times of crisis, to maintain the social license, to invest in capacity building, to break down the silos, to support fundamental science, to diversify your portfolio of control measures, to strive for continuous improvement, to confront the trade-off between information and action, to keep your foot on the gas, and to keep your eyes on the prize. The GLFC has long fostered a framework that uses some military strategy and verbiage that extends across the lessons (e.g., know your enemy). Other lessons are more nascent as the GLFC reenvisions its relationship with Indigenous peoples and governments in a path to reconciliation where two-eyed seeing is being embraced. Through adaptive management, horizon scanning methods, and embracing implementation science, the lessons learned about sea lamprey control will continue to evolve, which is itself a lesson. We submit that the lessons shared in the present article will help guide invasive species control programs spanning taxa, ecosystems, and regions.

Abstract Human trafficking and child trafficking are serious violations of human rights. Child trafficking is a despicable form of crime inflicted on the most vulnerable segment of the society. Availability of reliable estimates of the prevalence of child trafficking for various subpopulations is the first priority in tackling this problem. In our study, subpopulations are children of age 5–17 years living in small geographic regions (or chiefdoms) in Sierra Leone. We develop improved estimates of the true rates of prevalence and identify the most adversely affected regions by estimating the unknown true ranks. These estimates shed light on the severity of the problem and bring attention to the critically affected regions (i.e., chiefdoms). Using household survey data from Sierra Leone, we propose a unit-level hierarchical Bayes probit regression model to reliably estimate the prevalence rates of trafficking in the chiefdoms. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo generated samples of the small area characteristics from the posterior distribution of the hierarchical Bayes model, we compute point and interval estimates of the prevalence rates, and a set of probability distributions for the unknown true ranks of the small areas in terms of their prevalence rates.

ABSTRACT Objective To date, no standard weight equation has been developed to assess the condition of Flier Centrarchus macropterus across its range. Additionally, the current standard-length categories needed to be revised based on the more comprehensive data set that was obtained for this study. Thus, the primary objectives of this study were to (1) gather weight and length data sets for Flier throughout their native and introduced ranges and use them to develop a standard weight equation and (2) propose updated standard-length categories. Methods We developed a standard weight equation for the Flier using the regression-line-percentile (RLP) technique and the empirical-percentile-linear and the empirical-percentile-quadratic methods. Individual length and weight data for 8,192 fish from 58 populations and ranging in size from 80 to 305 mm total length (TL) were used in the analysis. The fish were collected from 1949 to 2024 from known populations across the species’ native and introduced ranges in North America. Results The results were nearly identical among the three methods; thus, we recommend the RLP-derived equation for describing this species for individuals from 80 to 240 mm TL. The resulting equation is log10W = 3.141 * log10L − 5.013 (RLP), where W is weight (g) and L is TL (mm). Although fish that were as large as 305 mm TL were included in our data set, bias was found at the upper end of the length spectrum due to low sample sizes. As a result, we caution using any of the equations for Flier ≥25 cm TL. We also developed standard-length categories for Flier with minimum lengths for five standard-length categories of 8, 13, 15, 18, and 23 cm TL for stock, quality, preferred, memorable, and trophy sizes, respectively. Conclusions The development of a standard weight equation and standard-length categories will aid biologists in assessing the condition and size structure of wild Flier populations and those being potentially propagated for supplemental stocking into areas with depressed populations across its native range. This information will be valuable for the future management and conservation of this valuable sunfish species.

Accurately documenting reproductive status is prerequisite for effectively monitoring wildlife population trends, population stability, and species-specific conservation objectives. Unfortunately, the accepted methods for determining reproductive status of North American bats can be subjective, and accuracy is influenced by experience of the handler. For small mammals other than bats, ultrasound can provide a reliable method for determining pregnancy. Our goal was to determine the efficacy of using ultrasound relative to abdominal palpation typically used by biologists to determine pregnancy in bats in the field. Although there are some advantages of using ultrasound in the field, this method did not outperform abdominal palpation substantively to warrant its expense.

Understanding factors contributing to veterinary student anxiety prior to instructional laboratories is important for mitigating those stressors and improving student education. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between student anxiety prior to surgery and demographic and societal variables before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesized that increased county COVID-19 cases would increase anxiety, and experience level would have no impact. Students were enrolled in this study in 2019 (n = 87), 2021 (n = 84), and 2022 (n = 96). Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), which involved a writing prompt to describe their feelings, and provided a salivary sample immediately prior to their first ovariohysterectomy laboratory. Univariable and multivariable linear models were used to assess for predictors of STAI scores, salivary cortisol levels, and scored prompt responses with significance threshold p < 0.05. Year and COVID-19 cases were correlated and considered together. A significant predictor for both STAI-S and STAI-T scores was year/COVID-19 (2019 = 0 COVID-19; STAI-S = 54.7 ± 6.6; 2021 = 679 COVID-19, STAI-S = 67.5 ± 6.6; 2022 = 186 COVID-19, STAI-S = 56.7 ± 10.1; p < 0.001). Alcohol use was predictive of reduced STAI-T scores. Predictors for increasing cortisol levels included year and use of over-the-counter medications. Predictors for short answer results included year, laboratory role, and experience. Limitations include a limited time studied at one institution and the multifactorial, individualized nature of anxiety. Some measures of anxiety were greater in times of high COVID-19 levels, and there was evidence that anxiety was reduced for more experienced students. More work is needed to understand which factors influence student anxiety so targeted interventions can be evaluated.

ABSTRACT Objective The goal of this study was to estimate gear-specific detection (electrofishing and angling) and occupancy correlates for endemic Bartram’s Bass Micropterus sp. cf. coosae and a suite of other Micropterus species in tributaries to the upper Savannah River of the southeastern United States. Methods We conducted 669 spatially replicated surveys at 116 wadeable stream sites using backpack electrofishing and angling. We used multistate occupancy models to compare detection between angling and electrofishing and estimate effects of watershed scale human land cover modification and distance to reservoirs on three states of black bass occupancy: no black bass detected (state 0), black bass detected (state 1), and only pure Bartram’s Bass detected (state 2, given state 1). We then combined the data from 2021 with a nonreplicated data set collected in 2017–2018 (158 sites total) and used principal coordinates analyses to compare 20 abiotic variables indexing instream flow, human land cover, and other abiotic variables between the two black bass occupancy states. Results We detected black basses in 114 surveys among 59 sites and only pure Bartram’s Bass in 39 surveys among 12 sites. Detection of both occupancy states was higher for backpack electrofishing than for angling. Given that a site was suitable for black bass, the negative effect of developed land cover on occupancy of pure Bartram’s Bass was greater at sites within 20 km of a major reservoir. Sites with only pure Bartram’s Bass were associated with indicators of natural land cover and a milder flow regime. Conclusions Maintaining forested land cover and a natural flow regime a top priority for conserving Bartram’s Bass. Restoration or reintroduction efforts may be less effective if they are conducted near reservoirs from which nonnatives can easily disperse and colonize. Conducting temporally replicated sampling will allow for better estimates of detection and occupancy.

Habitat segregation is a common phenomenon among migratory songbirds during the non-breeding periods of their life cycles, and conservation practices that fail to account for sex or age-based segregation can be ineffective. We evaluated whether segregation occurred among wintering Passerculus sandwichensis princeps (Ipswich Sparrow) latitudinally by capturing birds throughout their winter range and at the patch level by radio-tracking a subset of Ipswich Sparrows on Assateague Island, MD. While sex and age ratios remained similar throughout their winter range, habitat use varied among tracked individuals. The majority of tracked Sparrows were found in areas where both grass and forb cover were available, yet males tended to inhabit locations with additional shrub cover and exhibited larger estimated home ranges than females (mean 50% minimum convex polygon = 2.36 for males vs 0.77 ha for females). Males and adults were more likely to be observed in fore dunes than females and juveniles, which were more likely to be observed in secondary dunes than adults. Distance between the active beach and the nearest vegetated dune influenced seed availability and bird use. Juveniles were located furthest inland where the plants Diodia teres (Poor Joe), Oenothera humifusa (Seabeach Evening Primrose), and Cenchrus tribuloides (Dune Sandbur) were most common. Adults were located nearer the vegetated dune edge, as were the plants Ammophila breviligulata (American Beachgrass), Solidago sempervirens (Seaside Goldenrod), and Panicum amarum (Bitter Panicum). Beach plantings conducted as part of dune-restoration efforts have often been restricted to American Beachgrass, but we suggest incorporating a wider variety of plants to improve habitat for all Ipswich Sparrow age and sex classes.