Jump to content

Cormorant control


Recommended Posts

Did anybody catch the Watertown newspaper or news today? My friend that lives up there said that they are it will be no oiling of the eggs or any controls for that matter on the cormorants this spring. So between the gobies and the cormorant and God only knows what else is decimating our fish populations Kama Maybe something should be addressed. Any one smarter than me have any thoughts on this

Sent from my LGL62VL using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll bet if those damned things were messing up the private lakes where the Fed legislators have their cottages they wouldn't be so "attached" to them. They have polluted a number of ponds on Cape Cod....totally worthless bird and they damage many things in the ecosystem.

Edited by Sk8man
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i agree the cormorant population is totally out of control!the main nesting area appears to be the spit ,under the burlington skyway,ont..there are at least a thousand birds there and in the immediate surrounding area...was thinking of maybe a couple of hungry raccoons let loose in the spring might at least slow the  population explosion we are experiencing...what is wrong with our MNR??they have been stocking browns  at the boat ramp in Jordan harbour for years...the very next morning literally  hundreds of these birds are lining the walls...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They have them here in Irondequoit Bay.  They kill all the trees they nest in as well.  They have been trying to control the population by shooting them.  I was boating near that, and then decided to move after the shooting started!  Doubt this will do much to the overall population though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think i remember some years ago when the dec wouldn't do any thing about those fish eating nasty birds the charter caps out of henderson made a run at night and did a number on them while nesting up for the night . my hat went to them , but i think the feds got involved 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem is a Federal judge issued a ruling this past Spring that legally stopped the ability of the DEC and similar organizations in other states, from oiling eggs or killing double breasted cormorants in an attempt to control their population.  A terrible decision which the DEC and others are trying to get changed.  Unfortunatly, for now, their hands are tied and all they can do is harass birds.  Here is a brief explaination of what happened: http://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2016/05/federal_court_ruling_halts_nys_lethal_cormorant_control_practices.html

 

I suggest we all write letters of support for ongoing cormorant control to our elected officials, state & federal agencies, etc.  That's what I did anyway.   It may help and can't hurt. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Up on the north shore kingston area they have taken over all the islands and killed off most of the trees. In the laSt two years new colony's have moved to the shorelines killing off more tree and taking over the few good spots to fish from shore. In the spring box nests are placed on some of the island, I'd assume for some of the other bird species but the cormorants take them over. Great to see our government helping to spread their population.

There was a bill introduced to allow hunting but haven't heard much about it lately. Hope a couple of raccoons get released on those islands, they have no predators to contol the numbers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/court-finds-cormorant-mass-killing-policy-illegal.html

 

PEER is at the root of the change to stop controlling cormorants. They appear to be a Washington based Environmental Activist group that uses a "whistleblower" spin on their efforts to "protect" the environment. The quickest way to jam things up is to threaten/apply litigation.

 

Of course, the situation on the Toronto Islands, Galloo, etc..... is crystal clear from Washington.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or maybe set up some good old-fashioned petitions at some businesses and sports shops. Might just be blowing smoke but will you really should try to do something here over the winter. I'm on point peninsula and you can smell the damn things after a rain and the islands 7 or 8 miles from my camp

Sent from my LGL62VL using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank the Feds, we have them here in the western basin of Lake Erie and Michigan. They will literally strip a small island of all vegetation from roosting and feces. Go look at Little sister island lake Erie, stripped. Here is an interesting article where the feds are involved in the cormorant control..  http://michiganradio.org/post/judge-rules-federal-agency-overstepped-its-bounds-cormorant-control

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 1998 cormorant shoot on Little Galloo island brought attention to the cormorant problem on  Lake O . I remember it well . Unfortunately ,the men involved paid hefty fines and some did time in fed prison . The egg oiling is a viable control method and needs to be continued . The feds have to change the laws protecting these birds . They fall under the migratory bird treaties and are protected by fed law . Back in the 80's , They were seen in flocks of hundreds . After the egg oiling program started the flocks seemed to be much smaller . This past season ,all over Mexico bay and north ,the flocks have grown again to large size . I am writing the DEC and my senators and congressmen to bring attention to this problem before it gets to the point of no return . Just for the record . The body count on little Galoo in 1998 was over 850 cormorants . Good shooting guys !

Edited by chinook35
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the comments here, and from discussions I have seen in the past on this subject it seems that south of the border we were taking measures to control them when north of the border, nothing was being done. Now it looks like the situation is turned around and they are taking measures to control them north of the border while efforts are now being blocked to the south. Since they are migratory birds, it seems like it would make sense to have a coordinated effort to control them.

 

One of the things that may have been a contributing factor in their population explosion and their impact on fish populations, could be the clear water due to invasive mussels and other factors. The clear water may be making it easier for them to devastate fish populations in some areas. I wonder if there are less cormorants around waters that are naturally turbid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...