Absolutely unacceptable. In…

Absolutely unacceptable. In fact the ministry should be looking to reduce hunting province wide. The proposal is nothing more than a wholesale slaughter as the flesh of these birds is unpalatable. Merely because a creature has become successful despite human efforts to destroy its environment is no justification for wanton destruction of a species - no matter what perceived harm some falsely believe is occurring.

Even if the ministry's suggestion that a native species is harmful is accepted at face value, other areas of the proposal are entirely egregious. The season is far too long, lasting throughout the summer. The presence of firearm hunting in recreational and tourism areas can only be disruptive. Having hunters present and firing weapons from a boat is stunningly dangerous.

The fact that there is little by way of control or enforcement is cause for some alarm. The current hunting and fishing regulations go largely unenforced as it is now. How will the ministry even monitor potentially hundreds of hunters in small boats?

As a sport fisherman and a recreational property owner I can honestly say that game fish stocks have NOT been impacted by the success of cormorants. Even if I'm wrong (I'm not) the appropriate response would be reducing catch and bag limits for recreational fishing and buying back commercial fishing licences. Not the slaughter of a native species that has as much right to the habitat as any other species, humans included.

In addition, no facts whatsoever have been provided to support the mistaken belief that cormorants are harming fish stocks or that the proposed extermination will have the "desired" outcome.