I am writing to voice my…

I am writing to voice my opposition and concern to the proposal to cull double crested cormorants. First these birds are native to Ontario and are therefore not an invasive species. They feed on both native and non native fish so in the case of non native fish, cormorants are actually providing a vital service. Cormorant numbers have increased since their numbers were decimated years ago, however, nature has its own way of "culling" as seen this past summer at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto where Newcastle disease was responsible for numerous deaths. The shear numbers that have been put forth in the government's proposal to cull are astronomical. Now obviously it is unlikely that each person hunting would take 50 birds/day everyday during the hunting season, but still the numbers proposed are ludicrous. Another concern I have is that many other species of birds nest in close proximity to cormorants namely the night heron so the disturbance to other species would have a detrimental impact. Many places where cormorants nest are also places that are migratory bird stopovers both in the spring and fall. This would also have the potential to be very detrimental. In closing, I strongly feel that any "culling" should be left to nature to rebalance numbers not artificially done by man. Upsetting the natural balance can have devastating consequences.