Cormorants were widely blamed for decimating the bass population on areas of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in the late 1990s, culminating in the shooting death of as many 2,000 of the black birds on Little Galloo Island in 1998. Another popular season, New York hunters can begin hunting this popular game bird Oct. 1, 15 or Nov, 1, depending on what part of the state one is hunting. Identify If You Need a Permit or License. This page is intended to help you identify whether a … Since culling began, the vegetation and co-nesters on the island have bounced back, Lewis said. Cormorants can be legally shot if there is a piece of privately owned property that they are destroying. Do double-crested cormorants negatively impact fish populations in open waters? Cormorants may also be shot if they are believed to threaten local fish populations, but they are protected under the migratory birds act (can’t shoot migrating flocks of cormorants) In recent years, great cormorants appear to be expanding their range southward, some populations overwinter as far down as Chesapeake Bay; Habitat Cormorants do eat sport fish, though how much and what effect that consumption has on a fishery must be determined Harassing cormorants only hurts other birds, he said. Posted Mar 28, 2015 The property owner has to get permit from Dec to and it is only for a certain number of birds. Thousands of Cormorants to be Killed: There Will be Blood The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to kill 11,000 and destroy 26,000 nests. The composition of a double-crested cormorant’s diet can vary considerably from site to site and throughout the year. A heron is eating my koi carp — can I shoot it? In 2014 the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources sparked controversy when it permitted a select group of 1,100 volunteers to shoot double-crested cormorants—federally protected, fish-eating aquatic birds—on lakes Marion and Moultrie for a one-month period, a decision that ultimately claimed more than 11,500 of the birds. Their go-to tool: a muted .22-caliber rifle, allowing them to shoot birds from afar and limit their disturbance. LCA therefore opposes the use of animals in food and … In Oregon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes to shoot 16,000 cormorants that prey on steelhead and salmon in the Columbia River. And they couldn’t oil eggs–the cormorants on West Sister are tree-dwelling. Perhaps instead of, or in addition to, reading, you’d like to head out and observe some local cormorants. For the last thirty years or so, populations of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) have been blossoming in many parts of North America. I'm sure he will read this post and chime in with more specifics and possibly pics “And that could cause a problem because you wouldn’t traditionally have cormorants in those lakes, so they will eat whatever they can find there and they may disrupt natural fish stocks in those inland lakes.” While a hunt should result in a reduction of the cormorant population, Kindersley points to a recent study that suggests otherwise. Cormorants face vigilante justice in new Ontario bill: Walkom ... It’s not clear why cormorants have to be added to the shoot-to-kill list. Share on Twitter (opens new window) The organization believes that animals are highly sentient creatures who exist for their own reasons independent of their service to humans; they should thus not be made to suffer for the latter. My buddy is usually with those guys blowing up the birds. What to do about nuisance protected wildlife, and can a neighbour let someone live in their ‘shed’? Last chance for Animals is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and media attention.