Ontario's Newest Game Bird: Should We Be Hunting Cormorants?

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On July 30th, 2020, the Ontario government passed into law a new hunting season for a species that has long been seen as a nuisance to fishermen, cottagers, and common lake goers: the Double-Crested Cormorant. While this bird is undoubtedly annoying, taking over islands and scooping up sought after gamefish, the impact of these birds is still hotly debated and the province’s recent adoption of a hunting season has received significant criticism. This article will seek to shed some light on the impact these birds are having in the Great Lakes Region as well as examine what a Cormorant hunting season will likely look like this fall.



The Double-Crested Cormorant

Contrary to what the controversy around these birds would have you believe, Cormorants are actually native to Ontario, being confirmed in the Lake of the Woods region in the 1700s and making their way down to the Great Lakes in the early 1920s. Since moving east, these birds’ population numbers have exploded, being found all over the Great Lakes as well as on the countless inland lakes in the Great Lakes Region, with a predicted population of around 143,000 breeding birds over 344 colonies.


Cormorants are typically found by the hundreds, flying around islands, nesting in tall trees, and diving for fish. These birds are far from picky when it comes to their diet, consuming everything from Carp to Bass to even invasive Goby.


The Problem With Cormorants


Diet

Anglers are often the largest opponents to Cormorant protection, as the growing number of birds and their near-exclusive fish-eating diet is seen as a threat to local fish stocks. While this point is hotly contested and is often claimed to have no scientific backing, studies carried out by researchers throughout the Great Lakes Region since the early 2000s seem to side with anglers’ concerns.


One of the most notable studies showing the relationship between growing Cormorant populations and depleting fish stocks took place on the Michigan side of Lake Huron. The impact was first assessed in this area by a team of researchers in 1999 (Belyea et al, 1999) concluding that while Cormorants were, in fact, feeding on the local Perch population, the amount of predation that was occurring would not have a significant impact on the fishery. While this seemed to settle the debate, the Perch fishery collapsed just one year later due to the Cormorant infestation, the bird's later being credited for up to 85% of the mortality rate of the fish.


Another study of this nature was completed in 2004 after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began its Cormorant control program. After six years of the program, Cormorant nesting in the area had reduced by nearly 90% and the Perch numbers rose accordingly (Dorr et al, 2012, Fielder, 2010).


While neither of these studies suggests that Cormorants are the sole reason for the fisheries decline, it does seem to display the relationship between overpopulation and declining fish populations, as well as refutes the argument that the current hunting proposal has no scientific backing.


Destruction of Habitat

Although these birds' feeding habits make up the majority of the criticism, it is actually their roosting habits that cause the majority of ecological damage. The main issue with these birds is in their droppings, known as Guano, which is highly acidic and capable of killing plants and trees that are subject to long-term contact with the substance. Since these birds typically inhabit islands by the hundreds, this process happens very quickly, roosting on an island until the area is barren and pushing out other waterfowl and wildlife that were relying on the area (Dorr & Fielder, 2017).



What the New Season Will Look Like:

The newly introduced Cormorant season is to kick off this fall, taking place between September 13th and December 31st. This new season is a significant step away from the original proposal of a nine-month season, which received heavy criticism from both animal rights advocates and cottagers.


The new season will also address former criticisms by reducing the proposed bag limit of 50 to just 15.


Since many view this bird as inedible, there is no law requiring hunters to keep what they kill, however, the birds must be disposed of at approved waste facilities or buried on their own private property.


Opinions and Criticisms

While the primary argument defending Cormorant overpopulation as a non-issue has been largely debunked, other criticisms of the new season have flooded in since it was approved, many of which have some validity.


One of the main, and perhaps most convincing, arguments that I have seen regarding this new season is around the bag limit. While the bag limit has been reduced from 50 to 15, many still view this as too high and see it as a threat to the sustainability of healthy Cormorant populations. Gail Fraser, professor at York University, for example, pointed out during an interview with the National Observer that if just 1,000 of the near 300,000 small game licence holders took their bag limit ten times this season, the Cormorant population of 143,000 would fall to extinction.


While the math certainly checks out, the notion that this many waterfowl hunters are going to dedicate their time to these inedible birds is highly unlikely and the likelihood of them filling their bag limit ten times over a season is even less so. My view on this issue is that very few people who are not directly affected by these birds are going to hunt them due to the work waterfowl hunting requires and the hassle of dealing with a bird that you are not going to eat. I feel that it is likely that this season will be nothing more than an opportunity for cottagers to deal with their local Cormorant infestations and for fish-loving hunters to contribute to the health of their fisheries when the opportunity presents itself during the traditional waterfowl season.


BONUS: Are Cormorants Actually Inedible?

Since I personally don't like to hunt for things that I don't plan on eating, the first thing I wanted to know when this season was approved was "can you eat Cormorant?". My search resulted in a resounding "NO" from the waterfowl hunting community and for apparent good reason.


One of the main reasons that these birds are not consumed is for their fishy smell and taste. This is common among many fish-eating animals, as even bears can develop nasty smelling meat after months of eating rotting fish in the fall. In addition to the taste and smell, the meat is also known to be very tough and contains high amounts of PCB, a highly toxic chemical to humans.


While there are absolutely recipes you can find online, most of them being jokes, I do not think I will be taking part in the Cormorant eating experiment this fall and will happily stick to goose and deer.


Sources:

Belyea, G. Y. (1999). Mpact of Double-Crested Cormorant Predation on the Yellow Perch Population in the Les Cheneaux Islands of Michigan. Retrieved from https://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/symposia/cormorant_symposium/pdfs/corsym6_nogfx.pdf

Davis, G. (2020, July 31). Ontario announces annual double-crested cormorant fall hunting season. Retrieved August 19, 2020, from https://globalnews.ca/news/7239790/ontario-double-crested-cormorant-hunting/


Dorr, B. S., Burger, L. W., Barras, S. C., & Godwin, K. C. (2012). Economic impact of double‐crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, depredation on channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, aquaculture in Mississippi, USA. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society43(4), 502-513.

Fielder, D (2008, September 1) "Examination of Factors Contributing to the Decline of the Yellow Perch Population and Fishery in Les Cheneaux Islands, Lake Huron, with Emphasis on the Role of Double-crested Cormorants," Journal of Great Lakes Research 34(3), 506-523,. 

McIntosh, E. (2020, August 14). In Ontario, it’s open season on cormorants. But is the hunt based on science? Retrieved August 19, 2020, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/08/13/news/ontario-its-open-season-cormorants-hunt-based-science

Proposal to establish a hunting season for double-crested cormorants in Ontario. (2020, July 31). Retrieved August 19, 2020, from https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4124?utm_source=newmarkettoday.ca

Taylor, N. (2020, August 15). Province's approval of cormorant hunt gets mixed reviews. Retrieved August 19, 2020, from https://www.newmarkettoday.ca/local-news/provinces-approval-of-cormorant-hunt-gets-mixed-reviews-2615599


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