I acknowledge the occasional…

I acknowledge the occasional need to cull cormorant populations on a local scale in the Great Lakes. However, the proposed legislation goes much too far in two key respects:

1) it allows too many birds to be collected per day by a hunter (50 birds). While that might be acceptable in regions where numbers need to be culled, it is not acceptable in most regions away from the Great Lakes where numbers are lower and not an issue. My main fear is that cormorant breeding sites will be eradicated in parts on Ontario where it is low in numbers resulting in local extinctions.
2) it allows hunting during the breeding season. Chicks belonging to shot parents will starve. few game birds have hunting season that span the breeding season. Cormorants should not be an exception. More importantly, entire colonies will be eradicated since they are easy to locate.

I suggest the proposal be amended to:
1) set local quotas acceptable to that given region based on the need to cull and otherwise greatly restrict or prohibit cormorant hunting. Hunting should not be allowed across most of Ontario away from the Great Lakes region where population numbers are not a concern.
2) prevent hunting during the breeding season when chicks are dependent on parents and when Great-blue Herons and Common Terns nesting nearby may be adversely affected.