RE 013-4124# OPEN SEASON…

RE 013-4124# OPEN SEASON CULL OF DOUBLE BREASTED CORMORANTS
There are so many scientifically confirmed reasons why this ERO proposal is misguided and should not proceed

The death of one nesting pair of birds will leave thousands of dependent baby birds to die of overheating, hypothermia, thirst or starvation, a cruelty that would be illegal under the Criminal Code of Canada, but is inevitable given that it takes both parents to tend the eggs and young.

It will create health and environmental hazards from the large numbers of rotting birds and on shoreline beaches, causing another health hazard.

It will result in increased gun use and subsequent disturbance, particularly in cottage country during family vacation time.

It clearly caters to the pro-gun lobby to the effect that guns and killing solve problems (which in this case don’t exist)

It reinforces the unsubstantiated belief, contrary to all scientific evidence, that cormorants are responsible for depletions of game and commercial fish species. This is not factual and no evidence exists to support this premise.

Nationally it exposes Ontario's lack of scientific regard by allowing a native species to be killed in non-sustainable numbers

This recommendation pushes the cormorant back to endangered status, necessitating full protection.

What we do know is that while their colonies may be dense, colonies are NOT numerous across the Great Lakes.

Cormorants feed exclusively on live fish and are considered to be a skillful predator. Anglers have always hatred cormorants for this reason. This recommendation would therefore be welcomed by the anglers as well as the hunters who will enjoy and benefit from an open season hunt.

This summer at Tommy Thompson Park, hundreds of cormorants died of Newcastle Disease, a disease that paralyzes portions of their bodies causing them to drown or fall from the sky. Toronto Animal Control collected dead cormorants from Lake Ontario and across the city. New castle Disease, and predation is a natural population control for cormorants.

This disease along with other predation will in effect decimate the cormorant population in Ontario.