I am opposed to hunting of…

I am opposed to hunting of the Double-crested Cormorant in Ontario.

As a birder I enjoy observing this elegant creature.

The long hunting season proposed would allow shooting during the migration seasons when birders are out enjoying the hundreds of other species of birds migrating. I can imagine the shotguns blasting near the boundaries of the parks at Rondeau and Point Pelee, etc.

The killing of the parents during the nesting season would cause the chicks to starve.

The high bag limits will allow for wanton killing for its own sake. Who would want to kill 50 birds in one day?

Cormorants perch in trees to dry their feathers. Shooting them, even with a limited powered shotgun, will be no sport. (If killing wildlife with high tech equipment can ever be called a sport.)

Since cormorants are usually flying or perching over water, it is unlikely that the killed birds would ever be retrieved.

Birds eating fish and defecating are natural parts of nature, something to be enjoyed rather than terminated.

Mankind is crushing the natural world. While some of this is necessary for our own development, we must do all we can to preserve habitat and species. This may be last century that humans can observe nature. Surely your government can see its responsibilities for our future.

I have been planning a camping and birding trip to Ontario. If you allow the killing of cormorants I will not travel to your province, and will discourage others from visiting there as well.