I think that cormorant…

I think that cormorant populations are high enough to support a hunting season. I am unsure about whether they are having a significant and undue effect on fisheries and/or island habitats. It concerns me that this proposal references the concerns of fish and game clubs, commercial fishermen, and citizens and yet does not offer scientific backing.

I do not support the daily limit of 50. If double-breasted cormorants are to be listed as a game bird then they should be managed as such - use a daily and possession limit more in line with other waterfowl and DO NOT create an exemption allowing the carcasses to spoil.

I do not support the management of this species as a pest. The regulation as proposed will just foster more contempt and disregard for this species. A person could (and will) simply set themselves up on a breeding island, shoot 50 cormorants a day, and congratulate themselves on doing the fish a good deed. This is not hunting.

I support the season as proposed.

I would like to see an allowance for egg collection. As colony nesters I suspect that double-breasted cormorants are naturally disturbed by occasional nest predators. I would be interested to see an allowance in the regulation for egg-collection for personal consumption. This is a traditional harvest technique and also serves to reduce cormorant populations by limiting nesting success.

I personally would hunt cormorants for food and collect their eggs for food.