I am a hunter and a…

I am a hunter and a fisherman. I eat what I kill and catch all the fish I want, despite cormorants, loons, otters, and the other piscivores I compete with.
I think an open season on cormorants will have many unintended consequences without solving the problem (assuming there is one).
Cormorants are not an alien species and should be able to carry out its ecological role.
The proposed legislation gives the worst kind of hunter greater exposure (killers for the sake of killing, disregard for lead shot in waterways, etc.). This in turn aggravates tensions between responsible hunters (painted with the same brush) and non-hunters.
There will be conflicts with noise , non-retrieval and wounding of the birds, during precisely the time of year when cottagers are on the lakes for peaceful enjoyment.
We would be sending the wrong message to new hunters and non-hunters about shooting game not intended to be used. Let's keep the ideas of "vermin" and "noxious predators" in the past where they belong.
I doubt that opportunistic shooting will have any effect on the population, especially once the birds learn to be more wary and difficult to approach. Also, most hunters are reluctant to use expensive ammunition for something inedible, and for dubious purposes.
The most effective way to deal with cormorant reduction is at the breeding grounds. Contrary to what is contained in the information release, low populations in past decades had little or anything to do with pesticides, as in terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, commercial fishermen were the main culprits who quickly learned that the birds were most vulnerable at the rookeries, and acted quietly in their interests.
Noisy shooting at the rookeries will lead to mega-problems in public relations. There are more efficient and socially acceptable ways of lowering cormorant nesting success.