As a wildlife biologist I…

As a wildlife biologist I find it difficult to understand how the sustainable hunting of ANY species can be open for such a long period of time and during the breeding season.

The double-chested cormorant is a native species to Ontario; they do not diminish the fish stocks; they do not destroy they habitat that they use; and they are not considered a species hunted for food.

The uncontrolled hunting of the double-chested cormorant will ultimately cause it's extinction and with it the extinction of other species with which there is a shared natural history. Further more the slaughter and wasting of their carcasses have the potential to pollute water ways and cause the spread of disease.

Populations of double-chested cormorant should be left alone to come to equilibrium on their own. They are part of the natural habitat and once the carrying capacity of each population has been reached it will ebb and flow around that point as long as they are left undisturbed by humans.

If this hunt is permitted as proposed then the double-chested cormorant will join the passenger pigeon and only be seen in the dusty drawers of museum collections where we tell stories of their once great number to children that wonder how we could have simply shot the last of a species.