Schumer:
Deer disease could cost New York economy millions
By WILLIAM
KATES
Associated
Press Writer
May 11, 2005, 2:56 PM EDT
SYRACUSE,
N.Y. -- If chronic wasting disease impacts New York deer hunting like it
did in Wisconsin, the state economy could lose up to $107 million, U.S.
Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday.
Saying the
federal government needs to get more involved in curtailing the disease's
spread in New York and elsewhere, the New York Democrat offered a
five-point plan, including establishing a nationwide protocol for dealing
with CWD outbreaks.
"Much
of the responsibility for containing and resolving the disease is left to
states. As a result, methods of controlling the disease and managing data
on CWD outbreaks are piecemeal and hodgepodge," Schumer said. "New York is doing
well but deer don't respect state borders."
Schumer
said federal guidance and oversight could help prevent further outbreaks,
foster improved research and aid in the successful management of CWD, which
affects the brain and central nervous system of certain deer and elk and is
nearly always fatal.
CWD was
first identified in New York state in
April in five deer in two captive herds in Oneida County. It marked
the first time the disease was found outside the Midwest or Rocky
Mountains. Extensive testing subsequently identified CWD in two wild
deer.
In
response, state officials established a containment area and set up new
emergency regulations for hunters, taxidermists and deer-feed retailers.
There is no
evidence that CWD is linked to disease in humans or domestic livestock
other than deer or elk. While the disease is highly contagious, scientists
don't know how it is transmitted among animals.
Schumer's
plan called for increased funding for research, as well as finding a rapid
and definitive live-animal test that would allow for better tracking.
Current testing, which requires killing an animal to sample its brain and
internal organs, takes several weeks.
It also
would establish Cornell University's
Diagnostic Laboratory in Ithaca as a
nationwide testing facility. To date, most animal testing for CWD is done
in Ames, Iowa.
Schumer
said if CWD cannot be contained, it could be a crushing blow to the state's
economy.
"Hunting
is not just a recreational activity, it's big
business, and it's a pillar of the rural economy," Schumer said.
The New York wild deer
population is estimated at more than 1 million. According to studies,
hunting generates $900 million in economic activity statewide, Schumer
said.
In Wisconsin, CWD was
first found in 2002. In the first year after its detection, hunting license
applications fell by 12 percent because of hunters' concerns and as a
result of a thinned down wild deer population, Schumer said.
In New York, a similar
dip in licenses would ripple through the businesses that serve hunters and
cause a $107 million in lost deer hunting revenue, the senator said.
Original
article can be found at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--chronicwastingdis0511may11,0,4237053.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
