I am writing to urge the…

I am writing to urge the Ontario government not to proceed with the ill-advised double-crested cormorant cull. This policy is not based on science, but to placate a few citizens who do not see room for this native species in our fragile ecosystem.

The double-crested cormorant is a bird that is native to Ontario. When the first settlers arrived in Ontario, they commented on how the flocks of birds darkened the skies, as their numbers were so numerous before the European settlement of North America.

Only now are their numbers starting to return to their “normal” population levels after having been almost wiped out by DDT in the 1960s and 70s. They are an important part of the ecosystem and do not take an abundant share of the fish stocks, which have had their populations largely artificially engineered and maintained by human intervention. They only take a small fraction of the fish species that are available and will not limit the amount of fish available to people who participate in recreational fishing.

I also understand that hunters would be allowed to shoot up to 50 birds per day, which could decimate the population in only a short period of time. There are already regulations in place allowing for culls in certain circumstances when an area may be threatened by too many birds. Also, property owners are already permitted to take whatever means are necessary to protect their land from “nuisance” animals.

I am also deeply concerned that people may shoot wildly and irresponsibly near cottage owners, campers, canoeists, which would put people in danger. Other wildlife may also be threatened. Loons may be mistaken for double crested cormorants, and there are no checks and balances to make sure people are hunting responsibly.

This cull is not backed by science. It is based on a knee jerk reaction to the birds re-establishing their populations in areas where they have been lost in the past. They are also a species that is prey to the bald eagle, which is making a comeback in Ontario.

Please do not go ahead with this policy. There are already measures in place without allowing a mass cull of up to 50 birds per day, per individual. We want to protect our native wildlife, not decimate their populations as we have done in the past.