Game Farm Mallards/Duck DNA Results

[Dave Horvath]

If you are a waterfowl podcast listener, pick one, undoubtedly you've heard the problem of Game Farm Mallard genetics being mixed into wild mallard populations. The results are in from the Phil Lavretsky UTEP/Ducks Unlimited study. I was chosen last year as a participant in the study here are the certificates and results for the samples I submitted. Below is the explanation I received from Phil regarding the results for the samples I submitted from Northern Indiana.

1. Calling wild: The ancestry that you see on your certificate is the point estimate assignment to a particular population. What you do not see is that we also calculate the standard deviation. Our cutoff to call something wild is whether the point estimate + standard deviation overlaps 95%. This is a conservative ancestry cut-off as determining the last 5% is inaccurate in most cases. So for example, the 94% was actually 94%+2% (Standard deviation = 96%, and thus it was called wild mallard as it was >= 95%. In fact, all your mallards except was considered "wild mallard."
2. Old vs New World: This term is used for mitochondrial DNA only, which is maternally inherited (all offspring get it from mom only). A North American mallard should carry New World (NW) B. Any North American mallard that carries Old World (OW) A got it from a female game-farm mallard. However, it is possible to be nuclear (mom + dad) pure wild mallard but still carry an OW A mtDNA lineafge, because mtDNA can get "stuck" in a lineage. There is more specifics on that I can answer over the phone if you would like! For example, your bird that is 98% wild mallard at nuclear but carries an OW A mtDNA haplotype tells me that a female game-farm mallard was part of its lineage as a great-great-great-great....-great grandma, but because their grandparents kept interbreeding with wild mallards, they are now wild mallard at nuclear genes. I hope that makes sense?
3. The 80/20 hybrid : Yes, this is a true wild x game-farm mallard hybrid that carries NW B mtDNA. This means that the hybridization at some point was male game-farm that carries an OW A x female wild mallard carries an NW B = hybrid genome but NW B mtDNA (because of mom having the NW B).

 

[Brad Bortner]

Dave

The DuckDNA project is really interesting science. Hopefully people will grasp the threats to wild populations from game farm mallards. The results of the first year can be found at DuckDNA Dr. Lavretsky has been featured on several DU podcasts, Fowl Weather and on Ramsey Russell's podcast. I enjoyed listening to all of these episodes. Here is a link to the DU episodes DU Podcasts. Fowl Weather podcast can be founds here Fowl Weather Podcast. Ramsey's podcast can be found here Duck Season Somewhere

Important work with real implications.

Brad

 

[Paul Taylor]

Dave

The DuckDNA project is really interesting science. Hopefully people will grasp the threats to wild populations from game farm mallards. The results of the first year can be found at DuckDNA Dr. Lavretsky has been featured on several DU podcasts, Fowl Weather and on Ramsey Russell's podcast. I enjoyed listening to all of these episodes. Here is a link to the DU episodes DU Podcasts. Fowl Weather podcast can be founds here Fowl Weather Podcast. Ramsey's podcast can be found here Duck Season Somewhere

Important work with real implications.

Brad

What would it take for the USFWS to immediately ban mallard release programs? Are these DNA evidence enough?

Folks in SC have been releasing Mallards for years. A blind eye has been turned to the obvious use of live decoys and call birds as many duck clubs encourage members NOT to shoot their release mallards. Many release mallards won't even leave the pond while guns are being shot during "hunts". It's sickening.

 

[Brad Bortner]

It would require rewriting a regulation as a proposed rule change, an environmental assessment and public comment. Obviously if it was easy it would have been done by now but its controversial to say the least.

 

[Eric Patterson]

What is the source of the releases? Is it all or nearly all hunting clubs? Or is poultry farming and pet rearing a factor too?

 

[greg setter]

releasing mallards for RSA's (regulated shooting area's) in Maryland is a pretty widespread deal. Somebody from that state can chime in with more details. This would be really hard to do there, it is really entrenched.

 

[Paul Taylor]

What is the source of the releases? Is it all or nearly all hunting clubs? Or is poultry farming and pet rearing a factor too?

Here is the largest contributor to release mallards here in SC. https://scwa.org/waterfowl/mallard-project/

Initially they defended this program saying their release birds don't migrate, our SCDNR required released mallards to be banded, then band recovery trickled in from Canada all the way to Florida. Now our SCDNR requires a toe to be clipped, we call these ducks "Clip Toes" which is disheartening to a waterfowler when the bird is in hand and it's missing one toe.

Man's desire for instant gratification and manipulation of wildlife always seems to have a way of backfiring.

 

[roy brewington]

Little food for thought. I live on Eastern Shore Of Md. Been hunting and fishing Pocomoke River all my life and am extremely aware of what goes on within that waterway in particular. About 6 to 7 years ago A river front farm was bought by a fellow from New Jersey that raises game farm mallards for sale. His son in law started dumping about 75 mallards every early fall out from a landing beside a waterfront home at property and keeps them fed in a little creek beside house . I,m thinking he stops feeding them after hunting season is over. They basically swim around in front of that property, day and night and occasionally wander far enough away to get shot but not often. What they do do is draw every wild duck that flies by them except for woodies and some Blk. Ducks. About year 2 of their placement I started noticing nesting pairs of mallards come spring at other spots along river within a mile or so of property. Quite common now to find paired up mallards along river now . Prior to this only big ducks we had nesting was the occasional blk. duck . Their placement i'm about positive is the result of these mallards i'm seeing in spring. There have been no other game farm or RSA mallards released in the area since the days of DNR releasing them prior to hunting season back in the 80,s. Those released by DNR weren't being fed so they actually moved around a bit if they didn,t get killed first coming to a roadway bordering river. Attracted by the sound of human activity, what they were use to.

 

[greg setter]

Roy, you were the guy I had in mind when I commented above, and I was pretty sure you had some insights. That game farm typically raises between 300-350K mallards per year for sale. I think most of the RSA owners buy from them.

 

[Kevin Layne]

Or, why don't they at least require all released birds to be of wild genetic stocks? Wouldn't be that hard to do some egg salvaging from ag fields before harvest and share the eggs around. We do quite a bit of that in CA so it wouldn't be too hard to replace all the breeders those people are using now.

 

[Neal Haarberg]

Being on the west coast I was anaware of any of this. Makes me think of the salmon and steelhead stocking that has diluted the wild stocks and created artificial runs in a lot of rivers with fish that were not originally from there. This doesn't seem like a good long term plan for the ducks either.

 

[Brad Bortner]

Release of captive raised waterfowl other than mallards is illegal. The Regulations governing captive mallards are below.

§ 21.45 Permit exceptions for captive-reared mallard ducks.
Captive-reared and properly marked mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), alive or dead, or their eggs may be acquired, possessed, sold, traded, donated, transported, and disposed of by any person without a permit, subject to the following conditions, restrictions, and requirements:

(a) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the taking of live mallard ducks or their eggs from the wild.

(b) All mallard ducks possessed in captivity, without a permit, shall have been physically marked by at least one of the following methods prior to 6 weeks of age and all such ducks hatched, reared, and retained in captivity thereafter shall be so marked prior to reaching 6 weeks of age.

(1) Removal of the hind toe from the right foot.

(2) Pinioning of a wing: Provided, That this method shall be the removal of the metacarpal bones of one wing or a portion of the metacarpal bones which renders the bird permanently incapable of flight.

(3) Banding of one metatarsus with a seamless metal band.

(4) Tattooing of a readily discernible number or letter or combination thereof on the web of one foot.

(c) When so marked, such live birds may be disposed of to, or acquired from, any person and possessed and transferred in any number at any time or place: Provided, That all such birds shall be physically marked prior to sale or disposal regardless of whether or not they have attained 6 weeks of age.

(d) When so marked, such live birds may be killed, in any number, at any time or place, by any means except shooting. Such birds may be killed by shooting only in accordance with all applicable hunting regulations governing the taking of mallard ducks from the wild: Provided, That such birds may be killed by shooting, in any number, at any time, within the confines of any premises operated as a shooting preserve under State license, permit, or authorization; or they may be shot, in any number, at any time or place, by any person for bona fide dog training or field trial purposes: Provided further, That the provisions:

(1) The hunting regulations (part 20 of this subchapter), with the exception of § 20.108 (Nontoxic shot zones), and

(2) The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (duck stamp requirement) shall not apply to shooting preserve operations as provided for in this paragraph, or to bona fide dog training or field trial operations.

(e) At all times during possession, transportation, and storage until the raw carcasses of such birds are finally processed immediately prior to cooking, smoking, or canning, the marked foot or wing must remain attached to each carcass: Provided, That persons, who operate game farms or shooting preserves under a State license, permit, or authorization for such activities, may remove the marked foot or wing when either the number of his State license, permit, or authorization has first been legibly stamped in ink on the back of each carcass and on the container in which each carcass is maintained, or each carcass is identified by a State band on leg or wing pursuant to requirements of his State license, permit, or authorization. When properly marked, such carcasses may be disposed of to, or acquired from, any person and possessed and transported in any number at any time or place.

[40 FR 28459, July 7, 1975, as amended at 46 FR 42680, Aug. 24, 1981; 54 FR 36798, Sept. 5, 1989. Redesignated and amended at 87 FR 881, Jan. 7, 2022]

 

[Shannon kelly]

The devil is in the details , they (some form authoritarian government agency )should assign another taxonomic name to pen raised mallards besides (Anas platyrhynchos)...then the activity would be illegal

Then if the individuals that partake in the activity will , stop the practice, aquire wild stock DNA Anas platyrhynchos, or skirt the law

 

[William Reinicke]

I have killed many no white bar mallard. I have always assumed they were cross genetic with farm raised mallard. Can usually tell them out of a flock because their just a bit darker in color compared to other mallard flying with them. Harvested 2 last year on the same hunt. Went a few years without any but about 4 years ago, bet we killed 8-10 that season.

 

[Charles H.]

Dave, I'm glad someone posted about this project. I also got my results last week for 3 black ducks, one mallard and a Bufflehead that I sampled just because I was so excited to participate that I didn't read the instructions that they wanted to focus on the mallard/blackduck group.

I also saw a story this morning of how the project verified the first recorded fully wild leucistic Blackduck. Which is pretty cool.

No, It’s Not a Game-Farm Mallard. DNA Test Confirms First-Ever Documented Leucistic Black Duck

A hunter who shot an all-white duck in December received the DNA testing results this month and learned he had killed a leucistic American black duck.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[Dave Horvath]

Dave, I'm glad someone posted about this project. I also got my results last week for 3 black ducks, one mallard and a Bufflehead that I sampled just because I was so excited to participate that I didn't read the instructions that they wanted to focus on the mallard/blackduck group.

I also saw a story this morning of how the project verified the first recorded fully wild leucistic Blackduck. Which is pretty cool.

No, It’s Not a Game-Farm Mallard. DNA Test Confirms First-Ever Documented Leucistic Black Duck

A hunter who shot an all-white duck in December received the DNA testing results this month and learned he had killed a leucistic American black duck.

www.outdoorlife.com

Charles, did your hybrid black/mallard show signs of being a hybrid? Yes, I saw the leucistic Black Duck, that was a very cool bird. My hunting partners wanted me to send in some shoveler samples but I declined.

 

[Charles H.]

Charles, did your hybrid black/mallard show signs of being a hybrid? Yes, I saw the leucistic Black Duck, that was a very cool bird. My hunting partners wanted me to send in some shoveler samples but I declined.

No, we thought it was a full black duck.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

I wonder if there are quality photos of black duck speculum correlated to genetics? I'd specifically like to see the genetics on wings with a faint white border on the trailing edge of the speculum. The trailing white makes me suspect hybrid, as it seemed to become more prevalent in recent years. Or maybe we're just getting more immature feathered birds. I know other folks believe faint trailing edge white to be a full black duck trait. Hoping for genetics for a definitive answer.

 

[Brad Bortner]

Great to see y'all participating. Here are my results, happy to see that mallards from the far west Pacific flyway were all pure North American genotype.

 

[Paul Taylor]

Does the West Coast ban mallard release programs?