A dead gull found in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Bay has tested positive for avian flu..Workers at the 30 acre Pacific Industrial & Marine Ltd. facility noticed the dead gull showed no markings of an attack and decided to send it to provincial authorities for testing..The bird was discovered in December and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food confirmed this week — after receiving results from the BC Center for Disease Control — that influenza A virus H5 had been detected using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. .The president of Pacific Industrial & Marine Ltd. told the Western Standard Wednesday he is awaiting test results for another dead gull, also without markings, that has since been found..Cases were reported out of non-commercial facilities in Tofino and the Alberni Valley earlier this month..Cowichan Bay sits on the East coast of Vancouver Island, about 50-km north of Victoria..While sporadic outbreaks over the last year pale in comparison to the 2004 culling of 17 million birds in the province, many farmers remain concerned..For example, nearly 100 birds were euthanized following an outbreak at an Okanagan ranch in September last year..The Canadian Food Inspection Agency estimates the number of birds impacted by avian flu in BC to be 3,143,000 as of January 4..“This is fear-mongering at its best to further attack our food chain,” wrote one Facebook user in response to recent cases..“The threat has never let up. It really is a quiet crisis for those that haven't been following,” wrote another.
