I oppose this proposal which…

I oppose this proposal which appears to be based on much misinformation and myth.

According to the Canadian Wildlife Service, a cormorant’s diet consists of less than two per cent of fish that anglers and commercial fisheries want, such as salmon or trout. Instead, the birds prey on minnows, small carp and alewives, and less than one per cent of a cormorant’s diet is made up of the fish that sport fish eat.

Cormorants can already be killed by a landowner if they damage or are about to damage private property. As well, both the federal and provincial governments have the authority to manage cormorant populations in the name of conservation, and this is already being done through appropriate culls, oiling of eggs, etc. Further, if protecting trees is a major concern, an answer is provided by efforts of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, who have been managing the cormorants at Tommy Thompson Park (aka Leslie Street Spit), by successfully encouraging the birds to nest on the ground.

The idea that cormorants could be called "game birds" is somewhat ludicrous, as I doubt anyone would ever eat one. So any birds shot would likely be left to rot where they fall, especially with a suggested hunting limit of up to 50 birds. And has been pointed out, allowing people to hunt cormorants could endanger loons (a protected species), which have a similar appearance when flying.