I am strongly opposed to the…

I am strongly opposed to the proposal for many reasons. Most of them were outlined in Linda R. Wires extensively researched book "The Double-Crested Cormorant" (Yale University Press, 2014). I urge the decision makers to read it if they haven't already. I have much first-hand experience with these birds personally. I find it disturbing that the proposed season occurs during nesting season. This will leave nestlings without parents and leave the orphaned cormorants to die a slow painful death by starvation. Additionally I have observed that cormorant nesting grounds are shared by other species that are sure to be affected by hunting activity. These include ring-billed, herring, and Thayers gulls as well as common & Caspian terns, black-crowned night herons, great egrets, and great blue herons. The argument that cormorant numbers are large is not a valid one for these colony nesting birds. The passenger pigeon was once the most plentiful bird on the planet & was hunted to extinction. The double-crested cormorant was virtually extinct in the Great Lakes region not long ago. Describing cormorants as "game birds" is preposterous. My ancient copy of "The Joy of Cooking" contains recipes for any game a person could think of; cormorants are not among them. I imagine them being foul (no pun intended) tasting, fishy & oily. These birds are native to Ontario, not introduced and as such are subject to the same natural checks & balances found with other native creatures. The long lines of cormorants flying low over the lake where I live are a magnificent spectacle and source of serenity for me. It would be a tragedy for this to end. Having researched the topic of this proposal I can only conclude proceeding would cause certain harm and provide no benefit either to people or our natural world.