What is MNRF thinking with…

What is MNRF thinking with this proposal?? Please do not implement these regulation changes at least outside the Great Lakes basin. We do not need individuals boating around in summer months with shotguns shooting at and leaving behind dead birds to spoil. Numerous public complaints will no doubt arise from this activity that is not at all defensible by science from Ontario and elsewhere.

The preamble to Ontario’s Heritage Hunting and Fishing Act states: “The best traditions of recreational hunting and fishing should be valued by future generations.” Shooting a species that has no use as food with the only intent to kill it and let it spoil is NOT part of the hunting tradition in this province. This is exactly the type of behavior that our hunting laws attempt to eliminate. The fact that there has to be an amendment to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act to add provisions to allow cormorant to spoil shows how far this proposal is from the best traditions of hunting.

As a hunter who thinks it is important that at least a portion of my food comes from the land and connects me directly to our natural resources, I find this proposal very concerning. Currently, hunting is an activity that is conducted by a relatively small portion of the Ontario public. It is permitted to occur because the majority of non-hunters see it as well managed, focused on providing sustainable food and other significant benefits to the province. However, permitting activities such as this proposal which is essentially legalize the killing of animals for no use will shift this perception and threaten the support of hunting as a viable activity in the province for the future.

There may be very few situations in Ontario where cormorants may be out of balance with the ecosystem. These specific instances can be identified and dealt with, as they currently are in many jurisdictions. Random, in-discriminate killing by the public will NOT help address these specific situations in a helpful, thoughtful and science based manner.

Under the this proposal, it is quite likely that small nesting colonies might be completely annihilated on border lakes in NW Ontario. Was any monitoring data and science of impacts from this part of the province even used in making this proposal? There are other natural controls mechanisms (e.g. Newcastle disease) and other lethal control measures that could be utilized when populations are excessively high rather than indiscriminate killing of birds. The species is an important part of the natural ecosystem and should be considered as such! There are international implications to consider over the species range. Small nesting colonies could easily be annihilated under this proposal (50 birds/day) or nesting birds may be displaced to other lakes.

Please consider using all the available science and monitoring information from the entire province, not just from highly contentious areas of S. Ontario and the Great Lakes basin. If not, then consider leaving NW Ontario out of this proposal.

What are the enforcement and safety implications of individuals caring shotguns around in boats for cormorant culls during the non-hunting seasons? Please consider this impact in your decision.