The Double-crested Cormorant…

The Double-crested Cormorant is a native species in the Great Lakes drainage, anthropomorphic pressures pushed them to near extirpation, after banning some pesticides that impacted the metabolism of calcium in the shell gland of female cormorants the population recovered. This recovery coincided with the decline in predatory fish in the Great Lakes, allowing forage fish stocks to increase, cormorants fed on this overabundance of forage fish species and their numbers increased. Cormorant numbers are declining at present, and should self regulate. In some areas such as cottage shorelines, culling of local cormorant populations may be necessary to prevent destruction of the vegetation along these areas. And in some locations, if it is proven that overabundant cormorant populations are negatively affecting other waterbird populations, then yes, have well planned, publicized culls, so the public understands the situation. Letting people shoot cormorants in or near the mixed species colonies where they nest will inevitably result in the deaths of non target species, either by outright assassination or by scaring other species off their nests.
But and this is a big but, don't declare cormorants a garbage species by declaring a virtual open season on them as a limit of 50 birds a day with no possession limit will do. And allowing hunters to abandon their kills and leave them floating???, what kind of message does that send to our up and coming hunters and our kids. And what about those rotting carcasses that wash up on cottage shorelines and beaches? has anyone given any thought to that?
I enjoy hunting and eating what I shoot, but this situation makes me wonder what the future of hunting will become if the government who is mandated to conserve the wildlife species in Ontario caves to the pressures of those who do not like a species because they think that species competes with our over indulgent use of resources, we spent money to sponsor research in the north channel to find out what cormorants actually eat, and very little of their diet consists of game fish were the findings of this study. Using a species as target practise is unethical and will drive a further wedge between hunters and non-hunters, what are our wildlife managers thinking????????????? . This proposed legislation has the potential to severely reduce or wipe out this species in this area, the repercussions of this in the form of trophic cascades has not even been considered, have we studied the role of cormorants in nutrient cycling or as a prey base for our newly recovered Bald Eagle populations? The removal of a species from an ecosystem always has repercussions that we do not foresee or expect. Not enough research has been undertaken on this species to support this thinly veiled massive cull. I expect our Conservation officers will be pulled from their more important duties to deal with the myriad of complaints associated with this cull.