I am a resident that lives…

I am a resident that lives by the water in the French River District and I also maintain a cottage in another part of Northern Ontario. I fish, hike, camp and kayak many of the waterways of Ontario and have experience with Cormorants. I disagree with the proposed cormorant hunt and I believe that there are far greater issues that impact the fisheries and natural landscape then cormorants.

At my cottage, which I have been going to since the 1970s there is the odd cormorant and it would be 100% safe to say they have no impact on the fisheries but yet the fisheries on our waterway is terrible which wasn’t always the case. Today’s fisherman has better equipment (i.e. fish finders, GPS systems with fish maps, etc) to hunt fish. This can’t be changed but what they are catching and keeping is wrong. Depending on the location and the characteristics of your waterway (using Pickerel/Walleye as example) the typical female fish will not spawn until they are 2 to 4 years old. They are approximately 18-19” inches in size at that time. The fisherman doesn’t care about this. Just go to your local camp or check out the fishing boats and look at the fish that are being caught and the number of young fish that being kept. We are catching and keeping too many fish before they have a chance to spawn. This has a significant impact on the fisheries especially over a period of time. This has also be noted by the “French River Stewardship Council” when they assessed fishery concerns in this area. In my cottage area we used to have great fishing and whereas today, you’re lucky to catch one or two keepers over a few days and no cormorants. You can’t blame the cormorants because they don’t exist on our waterway. I can say with 100% certainty that this situation exists in other waterways of Ontario as well. The problem in my area is the lack of MNR or self-regulation of what is being caught and kept. In Ontario the fisherman complain about the cormorants eating too many fish while out East they complain about the seals eating too much cod. The problem is the fisherman are over fishing year after year.

In the French River, Lake Nipissing area we have cormorants but we also have a problem of over fishing by fishermen (same point as above) and a commercial fishery by the first nations. As some of the local elders have said, they are aware of some individuals taking advantage of the situation and it will be corrected in time. There have been ghost nets found on the lake with large catches of dead fish. This situation is a delicate situation and may not be solved.

There have been numerous studies done on the impact of the cormorants on the fisheries and none have found cormorants as the problem. I find it interesting that the proposed cormorant hunt legislation does not reference any of the studies or references any comments from the scientific community. I believe that this bill lacks any substance and is strictly being proposed for political reasons which is wrong.

If this bill is passed, it will impact the safety of campers, boaters and fishermen. I for one try to avoid the waterways during the fall hunt to prevent from being shot. Being an avid camper and kayaker that has camped or travelled by cormorants, I am concerned about the lack of safety and concern about being shot. Bullets travel a great distance across open water. This will not only impact myself but the northern tourism as well.

There is concern about the natural destruction of property by cormorants. I find this hypocritical considering the Ontario government permits the spraying of glyphosate to kill deciduous trees for improved harvest yields for the lumber industry. This chemical kills trees that are consider helpful in preventing the spreading of forest fires (due to their high water content), is dangerous to insects and many smaller creatures. There are numerous studies for and against the use of glyphosate but by applying the “precautionary principal” as referenced by the Supreme Court of Canada, glyphosate should be banned. If you are concerned about the destruction of natural landscapes and eco-systems, there are far greater issues that should be addressed first.

In summary the proposed cormorant legislation lacks the scientific backing and consideration for public safety on our waterways. I believe this legislation is political motivated and pandering to a few vocal organizations. This legislation should not be allowed to be passed.