I am deeply opposed to the…

I am deeply opposed to the proposal to establish a hunting season for double-crested cormorants in Ontario. This proposal has failed to establish scientific evidence in support of a hunting season, and the proposal in fact acknowledges that cormorant populations, which were once nearly extirpated from Ontario, are either stable or declining. In addition, this proposal promotes the myth that double-crested cormorants have a high negative impact on sports fish, when research by the Canadian Wildlife Service, cormorants indicates that double-crested cormorants are not competing with commercial fishers as they feed primarily on small, largely non-commercial, shallow-water fish. Only a small percentage of their diet consists of “sport fish.”

I believe that allowing to hunters to cull 50 cormorants per day while leaving the meat to spoil will promote unsustainable hunting practices. Because double-crested cormorants are colonial birds that nest on islands, it would be all too easy for hunters to repeatedly target a colony until it is eradicated. In addition, because hunters would be able to shoot cormorants from boats, it could pose a potential safety issue for the many boaters, cottagers, and other members of the public who use and enjoy coastal zones in Ontario.

I am disappointed that this proposal fails to provide any scientific evidence for the implementation of a double-crested cormorant hunt. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry works to sustainably preserve Ontario's fish and wildlife resources, yet this proposal fails to provide evidence that this hunt would sustainably maintain Ontario's wildlife.