This is an astonishingly…

This is an astonishingly retrograde proposal. The daily bag limit of 50 individuals is absurdly high, and the lack of a possession limit or overall seasonal limit means that a single hunter could decimate massive numbers of these birds. The provision allowing the bird's meat to spoil is deplorable.

The rationale for instituting such a violent and overzealous measure to control populations is incredibly superficial. Concerns about aesthetics are not an acceptable reason to legislate the decimation of an indigenous species.

Similarly, concerns of the commercial fishing industry about the impacts of an indigenous species on fish populations are specious at best. Aquatic birds eat fish; this is their nature, and to persecute them for this sets a dangerous precedent.

I strongly object to this proposal. If there is legitimate scientific evidence that shows a need to control populations of double-breasted cormorants in Ontario, then the measures should be instituted far more responsibly than is proposed here. This begins with a lower bag limit and a possession limit, and should also include strict provisions to reduce or eliminate impacts on non-target species, particularly those which nest in proximity to double-breasted cormorants.