Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed DC Cormorant hunt (cull). I am an avid field naturalist and have worked in the natural heritage conservation/environmental education field professionally for 40 years starting with MNR (F) and continuing my career with the CWS, Ontario Conservation Authorities and presently teach college in Ecology and greenspace management. While I, like many others have witnessed the growth of cormorants throughout Ontario, I cannot agree with the proposed hunt. In all I have read on cormorants, particularly peer-reviewed journal articles, few list predation on "game fish" as a serious issue. Most literature lists "coarse" or "forage" fish as the main food source. I have seen the coastal/riparian habitat damage done by these birds and solutions to this situation should be pursued, but not through a recreational sport hunt. My concerns are many, but 3 that I worry most about are 1) - the potential danger at worst and in the least, potential disturbance to the non-hunting public who enjoy outdoor recreation throughout the proposed hunting season in areas where the hunting would take place - namely the lakes and wetlands found in southern and central Ontario. Imagine a family canoeing a lake shore in May, June, July, August or September and encountering hunters in an anchored boat blasting away at a cormorant colony, 2) - which may contain, Great Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Egrets and even White Pelicans. And (3) what about enforcement? Our Conservation Officers are hard pressed to fulfill tradition enforcement obligations let along taking on patrolling expanded areas and dealing with a potentially new type of "recreational hunter" who is hunting not conscientiously but rather taking out their anger and frustration on cormorant colonies for the destruction these hunters perceive the birds are doing. In conclusion, I encourage the Ontario government to reconsidered this unwarranted cormorant cull and open a greater dialog with Ontario residents to investigate a better solution. Thank you.