2020-Sep-03
51 Experts Agree the Cormorant Hunt Lacks Scientific Basis
On July 31, the Ontario government announced it’s inaugural fall cormorant harvest will run September 15 – December 31 beginning in 2020 to take steps to protect fish stocks and trees from the harmful impacts of double-crested cormorants. Pared down from the initial proposal, the season has been shortened, the daily limit has been reduced to 15 and the new regulations will require hunters to retrieve their carcasses.
Since last fall GBA has expressed opposition to the hunt, highlighting public safety concerns and a lack of scientific evidence that cormorants are harming fish stocks. Now experts from Canada and the US have signed an open letter calling on the Ontario government to provide a scientific rationale for the cormorant hunt. These 51 experts include ecologists, fisheries scientists and natural resources managers who are promoting “targeted, localized management approaches” instead of a hunt to maintain a sustainable population of cormorants. Their open letter can be found here.
Read more about GBA’s response to the hunt, including a recent CBC radio interview by GBA Executive Director Rupert Kindersley, here.