Minister Yakabuski, I oppose…

Minister Yakabuski,

I oppose the proposal to change the Double-Crested Cormorant to a game bird. It's plainly wrong.

Hunters and fishermen have enough game to hunt and fish without slaughtering this bird. The cormorants feed on fish that are a problem to the eco system such as alewife and round gobies. Fish which humans do not eat.

Hunting from March to December and allowing 50/day will wipe them out. Just like the passenger pigeon. Between 1950 and 1970 these birds were nearly wiped out. The government says the cormorant population has exploded but the biologists say it has not.

Also the hunting will occur during breeding season.Chicks will starve to death. Does the government intend for this to happen? How will the 50/day be monitored if the chicks die? What happens if the hunter can't distinguish between a Cormorant and a Blue Heron or a Black Crown Heron. This means other birds besides the Cormorant will be slaughtered.Possibly leading to a decrease in their numbers.