I am writing to protest the…

I am writing to protest the proposed establishment of a hunting season on double-crested cormorants. It is stated that this proposal is in response to "concerns" expressed by some individuals such as commercial fishers, hunter and anglers, and those who find cormorant colonies unpleasant. Where is the scientific evidence that supports these concerns? Everything has to live somewhere and cormorants, which are a native species, need nesting islands. There appears to have been no attempt to study the situation by consulting with environmental groups and scientists who study cormorants and how they fit into our environment.

Why would you not consult with those who study and know about the situation before you make such a drastic and unethical proposal? Your government insisted on studying injection sites before it would allow them. They were already well studied and their efficacy in saving lives and helping addicts was proven. Surely you should engage in a thorough study of the alleged cormorant problem, or if there is a problem, how it can be properly handled. In all likelihood, if there is a problem it could be handled on a case-by-case basis, not by a wholesale slaughter.

My strongest objections are:

This hunt would run the entire year for cormorants in this province, meaning they could be shot during the breeding season and hunters would kill the adults and leave the chicks to starve. This is unethical.

Hunters can sit off the nesting islands in an open motor boat and shoot nesting birds, including the young.

Other species of birds such as herons, gull and terns, which share the nesting colonies, would also suffer because of this poorly thought out policy. Surely this is illegal.

Hunters can shoot up to 50 cormorants a day and leave the bodies to rot. In other words, they are unaccountable. This is totally unacceptable.

There is no evidence presented that the concerns expressed are justified or that the solution proposed is anything other than a Government-sponsored slaughter.

It is my hope that the Ontario Government will reconsider this ill-conceived, unethical and cruel proposal and consult with those who are qualified to give them guidance on this and other environmental matters.