Enough study, control Manitoulin’s cormorant crisis: O.F.A.H.

Enough study, control Manitoulin’s cormorant crisis: O.F.A.H.

Political dithering and procrastination have stonewalled expectations for a long overdue cormorant cull along the shores of Manitoulin Island, says the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.

“Despite five full years of studying cormorant damage on Manitoulin Island, and ample scientific support for a cull in that region, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has decided to watch this environmental crisis for another breeding season,” said Dr. Terry Quinney, O.F.A.H. Provincial Manager of Fish and Wildlife Services.

Quinney said that reports from the government’s own scientists show consumption by cormorants is the equivalent of 99-percent of the inshore fish production. Biologically speaking, Ontario’s cormorant crisis is out of control, and the North Channel of Georgian Bay proves it. In fact, one M.N.R. scientist referred to the cormorant devastation as a “tsunami.” And, now it’s moving inland.

Double-crested cormorants are black, fish-eating birds that nest in colonies along shorelines and on islands. In the past twenty years, Ontario’s cormorant numbers have soared to over 450,000 – 250 times historic population records. Each cormorant eats a minimum of one-pound of fish per day; in other words, it takes about three yellow perch to feed the cormorant’s voracious daily appetite.

“Worse than what cormorants take is what they leave behind – that is, only the skeletons of mature shoreline trees, and a significant loss of habitat for other birds such as the blue heron and black-crowned night heron,” said Quinney.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters has taken the lead in demanding effective cormorant management throughout the province. While the government is applauded for its recent sequel to last year’s cull of 6,000 cormorants on Lake Ontario, near Brighton, the O.F.A.H. is adamant that this science-based approach must now also be applied to other parts of the province.

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