The proposed hunting season…

The proposed hunting season on Cormorants is ill conceived and should not be approved. I have several concerns:

- It is an unjustified hunt because it is not based on scientific data indicating that there is a need for a hunt. More research is needed to show whether or not Cormorants do indeed have significant effects on sport fish populations.
- It is an inhumane hunt in that it will be allowed to take place during the nesting season of the Cormorant, so that adult birds killed may leave young birds in the nest to die a slow and painful death. Hunting should not be allowed during the breeding season.
- The proposed bag limit of 50 birds per day is much too high. At this level, it would be feasible for one or two hunters to destroy entire colonies of birds, and in regions where there are only a few colonies to even extirpate the species.
- It is likely to be extremely disruptive for other species which nest in colonies with the Cormorants. These include species such as the Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Heron, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls, Great Egrets and Caspian Terns. Some of these species are uncommon in Ontario, nesting in only a few locations. This is another good reason that shooting should not be allowed during the breeding season.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.