Wildlife Officials to Kill 4,000 Cormorants (Birds)

[Guest guest]

[ Yet another sick example of humans putting the blame

on another species instead of laying the blame

squarely on ourselves, which is where it belongs.

After all, we're the species thats wiping out most of

the fish stocks around the world, through - pollution,

development, over fishing, etc.etc. How despicable of

us to murder these beautiful birds. Rick.]

 

 

 

 

Wildlife Officials to Kill 4,000 Cormorants By GREGG

AAMOT, Associated Press Writer

Fri May 27,10:54 AM ET

 

Source >

http://news./s/ap/20050527/ap_on_sc/killing_cormorants;_ylt=AqEuQ8TeA7T\

9Gt8gZdP15xNxieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5ajYwbXB1BHNlYwNsbjc1Mw--

 

 

 

WALKER, Minn. - 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. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

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