I vehemently oppose the plan…

I vehemently oppose the plan by The Ford Government of Ontario to create a “hunt" of double-crested cormorants that could easily eradicate this important, ecologically beneficial native waterbird from most of the province.

As I understand, the Ford Government is proposing to:

▪ designate double-crested cormorants as a “game” species,
▪ create a provincewide annual hunting season from March 15 until Dec 31,
▪ allow anyone holding a valid Ontario Outdoors Card and small game hunting license to kill up to 50 cormorants per day (1,500 per month or more than 14,000 per season), including NESTING parents and,
▪ allow the carcasses to rot.

The Ford Government’s proposal would have numerous terrible consequences to wildlife and natural ecosystems in Ontario including, of course, the wholesale, uncontrolled, impossible to monitor, slaughter of cormorants. What a despicable act!

The Ford Government says it is responding to concerns (WHOSE?) about too many cormorants, depleted fish stocks and environmental damage. What damage are you even talking about?

These so-called concerns are largely just anecdotes, complaints and unsubstantiated claims that were long ago DEBUNKED.

In reality, cormorants are not overabundant, their numbers are relatively modest, have stabilized and are dropping in some areas. The entire North American double-crested cormorant population is estimated to be less than 125,000 birds in the lower Great Lakes.

The Ford government proposal is not science or fact based. It is political and could result in wiping out cormorants in most of the province.

Tell me, Ford Government bureaucrat, have you ever seen people by a pond standing in awe of cormorants drying their wings? Have you ever visited a pond? Do you have any love at all for wildlife?

As an Ontario taxpayer who loves birds, wildlife and nature, I hold you responsible for protecting cormorants and other wildlife, not destroying them.