Creating a hunting season…

Creating a hunting season for double-crested cormorants in Ontario is not a wise or logical approach. The reasoning behind my statement:

1. Loons can easily be mistaken for cormorants even with a reminder to hunters to properly identify their target. The loon population is in dangerous decline and this proposal can only harm an already vulnerable species.

2. The proposal itself gives contradictory information reading in the first paragraph that the cormorant population is stabilized or DECLINING. Why is this considered an imbalance? Why actively seek to decrease the population numbers (of a stable population) period, and why do so by hunting?

3. The current concern is based on an assumption only, a belief by property owners and some hunters (as stated in the proposal). There is no science, statistics or studies to verify and identify the cormorant as the cause of disruption in fish populations and/or habitat loss. Taking action without being clear on the actual root of the problem is not a wise route to take.

4. A bag limit of 50 cormorants/day with no possession limits is excessive and highly detrimental to both the cormorant population and other similar-looking targets that will be affected by this limit. The proposal also states the impact will depend on levels of hunter participation. This can be catastrophic.

5. The potential negative impact to the environment, ecology, and intricate food webs to an already environmentally-fragile planet is too great a risk to take. Unfortunately, negative impacts as a result of human hunting are typically only realized in hindsight, once the damage has been done. The province of Ontario, and the world at large, cannot afford to implement proposals such as this one.

6. Hunting is not a population management tool. It is a recreational activity for many people. Allowing this proposal to go through will not increase the recreation level, it can only affect the wildlife and conservation of its targets.

Thank you.