GEORGETOWN, Del. - Delaware DNREC has announced it will hold a community meeting about new hunting regulations related to chronic wasting disease on Sept. 16.
The meeting will be in the auditorium of Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus in Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. Anyone unable to attend the meeting in person will be allowed to participate virtually via Microsoft Teams.
DNREC recently announced the adoption of temporary deer hunting regulations to try to limit the spread of CWD and confine it to the area it's already been found in central Sussex County. The Division of Fish and Wildlife said it will explain what the temporary regulation provisions are and why they are necessary.
DNREC said it will listen to community feedback and take questions during the meeting, but that time slots for speaking are limited. Comments are restricted to a two minute time period and anyone interested in speaking must sign up before the meeting. To sign up, locals can email DNRECÂ by 4 p.m. on Sept. 15, the day before the meeting, or arrive early on Sept. 16.Â
The department noted that the meeting is only informational and is not part of a formal public comment related to the regulations. Possible permanent changes to regulations because of CWD will have its own formal public comment period during the standard regulatory process later this year.
Chronic Wasting Disease is a deadly illness that affects the brain and nervous system of deer, elk and moose. It is caused by abnormal proteins known as prions and can spread through bodily fluids such as saliva, blood, urine and feces, either through direct contact or contaminated environments, according to DNREC.
While there is no known transmission to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends hunters test deer taken from areas where the disease is present before eating the meat. Meat from a deer that tests positive should not be consumed.
