I am opposed to hunting…

I am opposed to hunting cormorants. These are a native bird, that has only just recovered from near extinction. It is not an edible game bird, and hunters will only see this as a target practice.

Allowing one hunter to shoot 50 birds is a ridiculous limit. These are communal birds and found in large groups, so a shotgun blast would kill many birds. This would not be a sport but a massacre.

Further, I don't believe all hunters will be scrupulous about removing and disposing of the carcasses safely, as there is no benefit to be gained from this extra effort.

The research I have done does not support the idea that these birds are competing with fishermen for game fish. "Cormorants feed opportunistically on fishes that are readily available and often congregate where these fishes are easily caught. In natural environments, fish species of direct interest to recreational or commercial fishermen typically do not make up a large part of the cormorants' diet (see Diet section and Appendix 1)" https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/doccor/introduction

I also believe that releasing this proposal for comment over the Christmas holiday season is an abuse of fair process.