Cormorants should be left…

Cormorants should be left alone. There is no need for population control as their populations are already being naturally adjusted after their sharp rise over the past decade. Just as any population spike there is a natural carrying capacity that will be met before they even out again. Since the ban of DDT cormorants have made a drastic recovery. People may confuse this population recovery as over population. Also, hunting cormorants without being required to eat them or use them in some productive way goes against the sport of hunting. This cull will also upset many of Ontario’s cottagers as the decaying corpses will smell up the lakes and property lines of these people. Lastly, a significant portion of the population is anti-hunting and the sound of gunfire within the vicinity of cottages will not be tolerated by all.

In my opinion, we should hold off on allowing cormorant hunting for at least another decade to be able to properly witness the plateau of their population. While the sport of fishing is held dear to us, I don't think its importance trumps requiring us to share these resources with our wildlife.