Cormorants

Evans · **Joined:** Thu Jan 02, 2014 10:59 am **Posts:** 37

I notice an extreme increase in the cormorant population this year.
They are constantly schooling up and feeding throughout the day.
They have started to destroy the island just east of snake by ox cove.
I’ve been fishing the bay for 35 years. This is my slowest pickerel year to date.
Is the cormorants feeding, and their destruction of our islands contributing to the slower fishing?

bigbassin18 · **Joined:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:55 pm **Posts:** 431

I bet it is. Thank goodness the ministry has brought out a hunt for them starting this year to start depleting some of the population.

legacy · **Joined:** Tue May 10, 2005 7:55 am **Posts:** 992

I heard on CBC a while back, there are 5 colonies in the Kingston Basin area alone. With each eating a lb of fish a day, that's a lot and has to affect the fishing let alone the eco system itself.

I'm very happy a hunt has been approved. I'm not a hunter but fingers crossed some people will help cull with an open season for them.

Out of curiosity, anyone here going to hunt them?

Cheers

bigbassin18 · **Joined:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:55 pm **Posts:** 431

I 100% will be hunting them. I’ve lived on the BOQ my whole life. And I have literally watched islands go to rot. And watching another islands and some parts of main lands starting to be destroyed. And watching new hatchlings and bait fish being ate to almost nothing in certain areas. Anyone with a hunting license and fishing license that lives on the bay should help out with this culling.

boqbass · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2020 9:01 am

Living on the bay, last summer a few tried to nest in a neighbours tree, his house was vacant. Note how I said TRIED. I no longer have a hunting license but I would love to tag along with you Big Bassin. Every time a dead one washes up on my shore I do a dead cormorant dance. Call me crazy but that was our only defence against them was to dance to the fish gods that we got another. Now , lets get them all!

Deepfriedwalleye · **Joined:** Sat Feb 13, 2016 8:56 pm **Posts:** 122

I took this phot back on July 23rd when I got to work out front of KGH the photo does not represent how many cormorants there was on that morning my guess was around 20 thousands you could walk on there backs

Bluefin · **Joined:** Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:30 pm **Posts:** 5

Out of curiosity what will the hunters do with the ones they shoot? I can pretty much guess we will see many on the shore lines rotting away, that’s the only issue I have.

bigbassin18 · **Joined:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:55 pm **Posts:** 431

As far as I read I think I read it correctly. Just basically pick them up take them home and discard of them. I may be incorrect so don’t quote me on it.

Fisher18 · **Joined:** Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:38 am **Posts:** 83

bigbassin18 wrote:

As far as I read I think I read it correctly. Just basically pick them up take them home and discard of them. I may be incorrect so don’t quote me on it.

Pretty sure you are correct. You are supposed to pick them up.

legacy · **Joined:** Tue May 10, 2005 7:55 am **Posts:** 992

Yes - you need to dispose of them yourself and the new hunting regulation simply states that the carcasses "must be buried on private land or disposed of at an approved waste disposal site for dead animals."

Sooo...I did some calling around and here in Kingston, Westendorp does not accept dead animals and Waste Management isn't sure but are looking into it. However, even if they did, it's a minimum of $30.

The "approved" is what's causing the confusion.

Cheers

Bay fisher · **Joined:** Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:27 pm **Posts:** 14

After we have gotten rid of the cormorants, do we go after the Loons and Osprey next? Those guys eat fish too. Just asking.

johnjyb · **Posted:** Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:09 am

Loons and Osprey are not an invasive species.
John

Bay fisher · **Joined:** Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:27 pm **Posts:** 14

Actually. cormorants are not an invasive species, having been in the Great Lakes region for well over 100 years. They were virtually wiped out in the early days, leaving only a few in the Lake Superior area but their population has rebounded after banning the use of DDT. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources did incorrectly label them invasive in the early 2000s, but have since dropped that label. I am not a guardian of cormorants, I just don't think that killing them all is the way to go.

adventure · **Posted:** Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:43 am

It's not so much about killing them all but bringing their numbers to a reasonable level where they are part of the ecosystem, not destroying it.
An over population of anything is never good. I'd love to see the number of cormorants drop as much as the next person but i don't think just shooting them is the answer either.

I know they oiled the eggs in presquile for a few years and i think that is a better approach for the long run. If only there were enough people to cover all areas and get enough of them to make a difference. Couple that with shooting them for the short term and maybe between the two we might see a difference in a few of years. Of course this would also have to be done on a broad scale otherwise they will just move back in from other areas anyway.
I simply don't see enough people dedicated to any approach to make a real difference. Hopefully mother nature will step in soon and thin them out similar to other over populations in the past.

chesapeake · **Joined:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 4:15 pm **Posts:** 139

Bay fisher wrote:

After we have gotten rid of the cormorants, do we go after the Loons and Osprey next? Those guys eat fish too. Just asking.

If I see 500 plus loons all together eating schools of fish and destroying their roost. I'll be sure to let you know.

Same with the ospreys.

Don't let herons off easy!! I saw a big lanky blue bugger taking my fish.

Are you by any chance slightly in line with anti hunting philosophy??

Hunting/culling whatever way you see it is in no way going to eliminate the population. It is giving people concerned a tool to manage.

Most comorants will be migrating south within a week or 2 of the legal season. It would have been more effective if it was allowed to open sooner.

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