Cormorants in Queen's Park's sight as bill moves through legislature

Up North7:38Cormorant bird can be shot freely if new provincial bill passes

The not-so popular fish-eating bird may wind up on a shoot-to-kill list if Queen's Park gives approval to a new private member's bill. We spoke to Sudbury ornithologist Chris Blomme, who says cormorants should not be targeted.

A private member's bill working its way through the Ontario legislature is proposing several changes to conservation laws in the province, and the double-crested cormorant appears to be in the crosshairs.

The bill, tabled by Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey, seeks to amend the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act to remove legislative protection of the large, fish-eating bird, meaning they could be shot on-sight.

That's not sitting well with Chris Blomme, a professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., and an expert on birds.

"I would argue that the cormorant is a natural part of our environment, it's an important part of our environment," he told CBC Up North's Peter Williams.

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The private member's bill passed second reading at Queen's Park in June, 2016 and was referred to standing committee. At the time, Bob Bailey was quoted in a press release as saying that "members from all parties spoke about the damage that the exploding double-crested cormorant population is having in their ridings."

Cormorants are known to be destructive to various plants and other vegetation, as their fecal matter is toxic.

In addition, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is pushing for the bird's protection to be removed due to them "stripping island ecosystems, de-valuing property and depleting natural resources."

According to Bailey's office, the bird usually eats bait fish, but when that's not available, they will eat game fish.

Blomme argued that taking a more holistic approach to lake health to ensure the survival of fish, including combating and mitigating invasive species, rather than targeting one type of bird should be the goal. He added that decreasing fish stocks aren't solely the fault of the cormorant.

"We should be more concentrating on a healthy environment, improving the lake quality of the Great Lakes, which is where most of the cormorants nest," he said.

"Water quality is one of the main issues, in the Great Lakes there's been a lot of invasive species introduced."

Allowing a cull of the birds could have a negative impact on their numbers, Blomme said. "Cormorants are very sensitive to disruptive behaviour, particularly at their breeding colonies, they breed in fairly localized areas."

The cormorant has been threatened before, Blomme said, including culling efforts in the early 20th century and by the introduction of DDT in the 1940s.

"I think it's a perceived problem," he said of the birds. "In my opinion, we have to learn to live with the wildlife we have around us, we're losing it frequently."