As a landowner of a Lake…

As a landowner of a Lake Ontario shoreline property in the GTA, a boater, fisherman and general outdoor enthusiast, we have a big problem here. I have observed first hand how the volume of these birds devastate the environment. I have witnessed with video proof what happens when 4000 to 5000 of these birds land right outside my home and devour a pound of fish EACH in one go. It is no wonder that I have rarely even seen baitfish around the property.

Secondly the large devastation they cause on shorelines due to their excrement, is both well documented and factual.

Their numbers have been allowed to balloon out of proportion with no checks in sight. They are at the top of the food chain around here unfortunately because of lack of action and I am in favour of using whatever reasonable means the government has at its disposal to reduce their numbers. If it is allowing them to be hunted at high bag limits and reduced 'spoilage' restrictions then so be it.

However, a hunting season alone won't solve this problem. It rarely does.. Hunters are conservationists to the core. What is really needed are mass organized culls or similar.

It is an out of control problem. I would be glad to share two videos I took on subsequent days in the summer of what 5000 cormorants look like when they land less than 50 yards from shore in a fish feeding frenzy.

It is time to make the difficult decisions and fix this mess that has gone on for too long. A hunting season won't accomplish that alone however.