I can't see any positive…

I can't see any positive effect on DCCO populations having hunters cull or kill the birds. I do see abandoned dead birds floating all over the great lakes and other species such as Common and Caspian Terns, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Black Crowned Night Herons, Ringbilled and Herring Gulls which nest adjacent or amongst cormorant colonies being disturbed. At present I believe Bald Eagles are starting to control DCCO numbers, at least on the North Channel of Lake Huron. I have twice witnessed eagles preying on adult cormorants early in the Spring while ice fishing off Algoma Mills Ontario( Magazine Island colony area) in late March when only river mouths have open water. On several DCCO colonies In Georgian Bay I have seen Bald Eagles feeding on adult Dcco's while counting nests in May and expect when young are hatched they also are preyed upon by eagles. I've worked with researchers from Canada,Ontario and the USA and ten years ago visited every DCCO colony known on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. I can see having certain areas open ( ie MacGregor Bay near Little Current ) where the birds may be limiting walleye rehabilitation efforts but Judging from the large amounts of Gobies I observed at many Lake Huron nests, cormorants may be playing a positive role on removing introduced species. Vegetation is not affected on the rock outcrop islands found in the North Channel and Georgian Bay areas. Their affect on trees in Southern Lake Huron and in the Kingston area was very noticeable on several islands. These islands did not appear to have multiple species nesting on them other than gulls. I would support hunting in specific areas where severe vegetation damage is occurring.

I am a ardent hunter and angler and am not a fan of cormorants completing with anglers or commercial fishermen for fish stocks. I really see this as a poorly thought out proposal to appease a few special interest groups that will not improve over all fish stocks.