Avian influenza viruses (AIV) have been classified on the basis of 16 subtypes of hemagglutinin (HA) and 9 subtypes of neuraminidase. Here we describe genomic evidence for a new candidate HA subtype, nominally H19, with a large genetic distance to all previously described AIV subtypes, derived from a cloacal swab sample of a Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) in Kazakhstan, in 2008. Avian influenza monitoring in wild birds especially in migratory hotspots such as central Asia is an important approach to gain information about the circulation of known and novel influenza viruses. Genetically, the novel HA coding sequence exhibits only 68.2% nucleotide and 68.5% amino acid identity with its nearest relation in the H9 (N2) subtype. The new HA sequence should be considered in current genomic diagnostic AI assays to facilitate its detection and eventual isolation enabling further study and antigenic classification.

Mass Die-Off of Saiga Antelopes, Kazakhstan

The Caspian seal (Pusa caspica) has declined by more than 90% since 1900 and is listed as endangered by IUCN. We made the first quantitative assessment of Caspian seal by-catch mortality in fisheries in the north Caspian Sea by conducting semi-structured interviews in fishing communities along the coasts of Russia (Kalmykia, Dagestan), Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. We recorded a documented minimum by-catch of 1,215 seals in the survey sample, for the 2008–2009 fishing season, 93% of which occurred in illegal sturgeon fisheries. Due to the illegal nature of the fishery, accurately quantifying total fishing effort is problematic and the survey sample could reflect less than 10% of poaching activity in the north Caspian Sea. Therefore total annual by-catch may be significantly greater than the minimum documented by the survey. The presence of high by-catch rates was supported independently by evidence of net entanglement from seal carcasses, during a mass stranding on the Kazakh coast in May 2009, where 30 of 312 carcasses were entangled in large mesh sturgeon net remnants. The documented minimum by-catch may account for 5 to 19% of annual pup production. Sturgeon poaching therefore not only represents a serious threat to Caspian sturgeon populations, but may also be having broader impacts on the Caspian Sea ecosystem by contributing to a decline in one of the ecosystem’s key predators. This study demonstrates the utility of interview-based approaches in providing rapid assessments of by-catch in illegal small-scale fisheries, which are not amenable to study by other methods.

A novel avian paramyxovirus was identified during annual viral surveillance of wild bird populations in Kazakhstan in 2013. The virus was isolated from a white fronted goose ( Anser albifrons ) in northern Kazakhstan. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of the isolate, which we suggest should constitute a novel serotype.