Iconic Long Island Duck Farm Hit With Avian Bird Flu

AQUEBOGUE, NY — Suffolk County health officials have announced an outbreak of avian influence at an iconic Long Island poultry farm.

Crescent Duck Farm, located in Aquebogue, is set to euthanize close to 100,000 ducks, its entire flock, leaving the future of the last remaining duck farm on Long Island uncertain, according to Riverhead Local.

Suffolk County Department of Health officials, on Tuesday, announced a confirmed detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as H5N1 or bird flu, at the farm.

The farm's owner, Doug Corwin, reported signs of illness in his flock early last week, and test results from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the detection of H5N1 on Friday, county officials said.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services is working closely with the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management and the New York State Department of Health, officials said.

The department is in contact with Corwin, who reported on Friday that none of the potentially exposed workers was ill, county officials said.

This week, staff will begin interviewing potentially exposed workers and providing H5N1 testing and preventive medications to those at high risk. Staff are also counseling Corwin, regarding preventive measures, including hand hygiene and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment ,to prevent further exposures to staff, Suffolk County health officials said.

Although workers may have been exposed, H5N1 is not known to be transmitted from human to human at this time and the risk to public health remains low, officials said.

"The risk to public health is minima,l as the virus at this point is not transmissible among humans. A full investigation is underway because there is some potential for transmission of the H5N1 bird flu from the infected birds to individual farm workers who had high-risk exposures," said Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner.

The farm houses more than 100,000 birds and is currently under quarantine. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are also involved in the response, officials said.

Both agencies are on site at the farm advising on depopulating, cleaning, and disinfection activities.

H5N1 avian influenza has been detected in wild birds and poultry in New York since 2022. Since March 2024, the USDA has confirmed that cows on dairy farms in multiple states have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza. The virus has been found in raw (unpasteurized) milk and secretions from the noses of cows on these farms.

To date, there have been no human cases of avian influenza and no detections in cattle in New York.

The announcement prompted reminders for commercial and hobby poultry farmers to increase their biosecurity measures to help prevent the spread of the H5N1virus. To learn more about biosecurity measures, click here.

To report sick or dead birds, call the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets at 518-457-3502 for poultry, or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at 518-478-2203 for wild birds.

Crescent Duck Farm, according to its website, was founded by Henry Corwin in 1908 in Aquebogue, on land that had been in the Corwin family since the 1600s. The business has remained family-owned and operated, the last bastion of an industry that once defined the East End.