2024-Oct-03
Cormorant Carcasses in the Bay Renews Debate About the Hunt
Recent Facebook rumblings have caused GBA to revisit some of our trepidation about the annual cormorant hunt approved by the provincial government in 2019. Several people have reported sightings of cormorant carcasses in the Bay, indicating that hunters are not following the rules and disposing of the birds properly.
Fact-checking malicious rumours about a little black duck
Cormorants have a bad reputation based on a few misconceptions and some of their messy habits. Here are a few facts about cormorants that you may not know:
- Cormorants are not considered an invasive species in Georgian Bay. Ontario’s oldest record of cormorants is from 1798 at Lake of the Woods, and there are records of the water birds from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere (GBB) has a comprehensive timeline of these birds on the Bay here.
- The proliferation of double-crested cormorants on the Bay is actually a huge success story! These birds were devastated by the effects of toxic chemicals in the 1950s and virtually disappeared as nesting birds on the Great Lakes. Ontario Nature has more information about that here.
- Cormorants play an important role in controlling a particularly vexing invasive species in our Bay. Studies show that the double-crested cormorant diet has shifted consists of round goby, which is an invasive fish that devours the eggs of native fish species. By controlling the round goby populations cormorants are actually helping to maintain the delicate balance of Georgian Bay’s ecosystem.
Current Hunt Regulations
Cormorant hunting is permitted in Ontario from September 15 to December 31, with a daily limit of 15 cormorants per hunter. Hunting is allowed from boats, shore, or islands, but prohibited within 100 meters of colonial nesting sites, national parks, and protected areas. Hunters must retrieve all killed or wounded cormorants.
GBA advocated for cancelling the cormorant hunt due to concerns about public safety, environmental harm, and lack of scientific justification. Hunting from boats during peak season puts residents, visitors, and recreational water users at risk. The birds are not edible and rotting carcasses threaten bald eagles, other wildlife, and water quality. There was also no conclusive research that supported the need for the hunt.
Cormorants are valuable allies in maintaining the delicate ecological balance on the Bay. GBA will continue to advocate for evidence-based conservation and responsible stewardship for these misunderstood birds.
Read more: https://gba.flywheelstaging.com/fisheries/cormorants/