# Wildlife Officials to Kill 4,000 Cormorants



## rap (Mar 26, 2002)

hopefully nd can get some permits to do the same
-----------
Wildlife Officials to Kill 4,000 Cormorants By GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer
Fri May 27, 4:49 AM ET

Chris Anderson is only half-joking when he offers a solution for the hungry cormorants that are eating the fish in Leech Lake - and taking money out of his pocket. "Kill them all," he says of the voracious, predatory birds.

At Anderson's Cove, Anderson's resort on the western edge of the lake, just three of 11 cabins were rented for this month's walleye opener, after six years of strong opening weekends. Over the next month alone, Anderson figures he'll lose $40,000 or more through mid-June because of cabins standing empty.

Word has spread that walleye fishing on Leech Lake, one of the state's premier lakes, isn't what it used to be. That means fewer people will be staying at its resorts or visiting this lakeside town where livelihoods are tied to the elusive and tasty catch, prized above all in a state where fishing is king.

"People need fish, plain and simple," said Larry Jacobson, owner of Hiawatha Beach Resort. "They need walleye."

Prodded by resort owners and fishing guides, wildlife officials have reached a dramatic decision: Over the summer, they will kill 4,000 or more of the diving birds.

Shauna Hanisch, who leads the Fish and Wildlife Service's cormorant project, acknowledges shooting the birds is the most drastic measure being taken to curb the populations in the United States. Other states, such as Michigan, New York and Vermont, are also dealing with burgeoning cormorant colonies, Hanisch said.

Some wildlife biologists and animal-rights groups oppose the plan, saying research about the bird and its eating habits is incomplete.

Although cormorants were nearly wiped out by the pesticide DDT in the 1960s and 1970s, the waterfowl has made enough of a comeback to pose a threat to commercial fishing and fish farming.

The large hook-billed birds are considered voracious fish-eaters, and they are prevalent throughout North America, with the highest concentrations in the Great Lakes area.

Anderson has heard several theories about the walleye's low numbers: poor water quality or development along the 110,000-acre lake. He dismisses them with a wave of his hand.

"It's the cormorants," Anderson said. "You should see it when 600 of them fly in here. The sky is black."

Last year, an estimated 10,000 cormorants were living on Leech Lake. Seven years ago, the lake had about 150. So far, about 2,200 of the birds have been shot and killed.

"I don't like doing it," said Harlan Fierstine, the area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "But we think there is enough science to justify this. It's about finding a balance between preservation and management. That's not easy."

Though cormorants are protected by an international migratory bird treaty, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service determined two years ago states could curb their numbers if they were harming natural resources.

Wildlife officials and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, which owns the island where the birds nest, did an environmental assessment, then agreed to shoot the cormorants. Some of the eggs also may be oiled to prevent them from hatching.

Francesca Cuthbert, a University of Minnesota professor, said the action on Leech Lake was "being made without good science." She said a comprehensive study of the birds' effect on the walleye was pushed aside in favor of the culling.

On a recent trip out to Little Pelican Island with reporters, Steve Mortensen, a fish and wildlife biologist for the Leech Lake band, said he regrets the bird's fate.

"It's a human thing. We are dealing with who is going to get the walleye," he said with a shrug. "That's the bottom line."

In downtown Walker, where people filed into The Outdoorsman Cafe, residents have felt the drop in tourism. A local business association found that reservations at Leech Lake resorts in May were down 90 percent from last year.

Randy Ehlenfeldt, owner of the True Value hardware store, hasn't sold as many fishing lures, water toys and air mattresses as in recent years.

"The walleye issue is a big part of it," he said. "Everyone feels it, from the restaurants to the gift shops."

___

On the Net:

Leech Lake: http://www.leechlake.org/

Fish & Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov/


----------



## SiouxperDave25 (Oct 6, 2002)

Why stop at 4,000?


----------



## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

If anyone else was there to listen to Valerius Geist talk, remember what he said about what happens to wild animals when they come into conflict with a commercialized resource????

You will certainly not find me defending blackjacks, but I gotta tell you, too many times people jump the gun to easy solutions for a complicated problem. Is the cormorant the problem or the symptom of a problem???

Not saying it should not be done, but to have a knee jerk reaction could set a precedent we will not like. If they were depleting bullheads would you all be worked up???

Tom


----------



## adokken (Jan 28, 2003)

Cannot beleive any one would defend cormorants, I have a trout pond that I stock and twice over the years cormorants have cleaned me out completly. The common crow is a migratory bird and has a open season so why not cormorants.


----------



## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

Why the cormorants are multiplying so fast is the big question. I can understand the increase in N Dak. It is because of the high water. There are so many dead trees arround the sloughs. These are providing unlimited nesting opportunities. Also the high water provided more minnows and other feed for them. Why the nation wide boom in cormorants numbers? When I am fishing a small N Dak lake and 300 of these black buzzards come sailing in and start feeding I run them off with my boat. I know it really does no good but it makes me feel better. The Game and Fish department is spending alot of money to feed these things. They are stocking the lakes with a great number of fish and a good portion of them are going to the cormorants. I actually figured out a way to shoot them without anyone seeing or hearing me but I decided not to do it. I go by the laws whether I agree or not.


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

I have heard that cormorants are not native to the US. Were they brought here for some reason or is this false info?


----------



## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Cormorants are native to the US and Canada and are governed under the migratory bird treaties the same as ducks, robins, etc. A good source of information about the problem in Minnesota is http://www.fws.gov/midwest/nepa/mncormorantf/.

See http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/dist ... s/1200.htm


----------



## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Thank you!


----------



## bigblackfoot (Mar 12, 2003)

I want a permit to shoot those damn things :sniper:


----------



## greenheadhunter (Aug 26, 2005)

shoot them [email protected]#% things they are worthless.


----------



## Lil Sand Bay (Feb 2, 2005)

I wish that the double crested coromant population in this part of L. Superior was reduced,as they have a real effect on our hatchery efforts as well as the commercial fisheries. Having said that..everything in the enviornment has its place. 
Given the last four mild winters, I also wish that the deer herd would be seriously reduced. One severe(normal) winter will wipe out the population, and it will take four more years to bring it back to its normal carrying population. Nothing worse then watching deer starve. 
Hunters have not taken advantage of the two T-Zone season seasons to reduce the doe population, and I kind of think that the Earn A Buck season last year, where you had to kill a doe to earn a buck tag, was kind of a bust too. Unfortunately too many hunters are too fixated upon the "kill a buck, or nothing" mentality to really help reduce, and help the overall health of the herd.


----------

