I currently own and operate…

I currently own and operate a Tourist Resort on Lake of the Woods and have been guiding on this lake and surrounding lakes for 26 years. The population of Cormorants on Lake of the Woods has steadily increased and the population of smaller game fish and Walleye and Perch has decreased considerably. Watching the continual feeding of large groups of Cormorants on spawning fish and shallow feeding fish has been hard, but seeing this proposal has truly shown a great way to help with a problem that had no solution till now. Back in Early 50's and 60's, many residents of the South end of Lake of the Woods followed this procedure that's listed in the proposal and populations were held in a very manageable state and fisheries were being able to steadily increase back in to sustainable populations.

The only idea I may have, which most people would contest too, would be to have the Cormorants be disposed of in the Landfill. So hunters would need to retrieve the birds, place them in a garbage bag for transportation to town and then dispose of in a garbage facility. OR the birds must be retrieved and at least disposed of on land. Having them floating around the lake may become a deterrent to tourists, residents and nature lovers who would be enjoying a day on the lake.

If you have any questions or concerns, I would be happy to answer any. Crawfordscamp@sympatico.ca
Sincerely
Matt Rydberg