I am writing in response to…

I am writing in response to the proposal of the Government of Ontario to make it possible for hunters to kill double-crested cormorants. The Government of Ontario invokes concerns about depleted fish stocks and environmental damage caused by the cormorant population, yet those those concerns rely mainly on anecdotal reports, and complaints from a small uninformed segment of the fishing community, as well as unsubstantiated claims that have been debunked for a long time by biologists: there is no substantive body of evidence proving that cormorants are depleting fish stocks or causing any ecological problems.

Cormorants are a natural part of Ontario’s rich biodiversity and an ecologically beneficial species, moreover they are major predators of invasive fish species such as alewives and round gobies.

Culling cormorants would make the cormorant an endangered species and most likely bring about its decimation, and it is evident the loon population would also suffer due to many characteristics the two birds share.

Please revert a decision which does not rely on actual scientific facts. Please protect double-crested cormorants as you do loons.

Thank you for your consideration