I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my concerns about the proposal to list the double-crested cormorant as a game bird whose population will be controlled not on a scientific basis through wise management of its habitat but as one that can be randomly shot throughout its breeding season. I will admit to being a bird lover and have taken many photos of these sleek black birds in the Toronto area as they fly formation across the water. I have also watched them dive into the water in search of what I’m told is one of their main sources of food the goby and the alewife. From what I have read there is still much research to be done on what their actual diet is rather than relying on anecdotal evidence.
This bird, a native species of Ontario, has made a remarkable recovery from near man-made extinction and deserves to be controlled through natural population management wherever it is deemed necessary. It would be a shame to take a population that has purportedly levelled off and decimate it once again.
Somehow shooting these inedible birds seems to be such a backward step in modern wildlife management when we have so many tools and wildlife experts. Who knows how many carcasses will wash up on our shores and pollute the beaches or how many loons and other birds will die or be disturbed in the process? I fail to see how these birds are a threat, and I would hope that there is a better solution to what some see to be a problem. We should be happy to have such successful colonies of wildlife among us.