26 - Southpoint Sun
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
First ever cormorant season underway LEAMINGTON — The double-crested cormorant is flourishing in Ontario — so much so, that the province has introduced a fall hunting season for the birds for the first time. Leamington hunter, guide and fisherman Steve Derbyshire, was ready for the birds when the season began on September 15. “They’re destroying the habitat for many species,” he said. “This gives us a chance to help the fishing industry and the environment.” Cormorants have long been despised for the damage their feces does to vegetation. A perfect example is Middle Island, which is governed by Parks Canada. The tiny island in the middle of Lake Erie was once a flourishing atoll of green trees, lush shrubbery and perfect habitat for such species as the Lake Erie Water Snake and Great Blue Heron. There was also once a casino on the island. Now, it’s on Essex County’s list of environmentally sensitive areas. The once-lush greenery has been reduced to many bare, dead trees protruding like match sticks from the surface. Experts say that’s from the cormorants and their ‘guana’, or feces. Parks Canada performs an annual cull on Middle Island to reduce the impact the cormorants have on the island’s eco-system. This year, due to COVID-19, efforts were limited, but a count by Parks Canada this past July, showed over 2500
STEVE DERBYSHIRE
cormorant nests on the island, which is an increase of 900 nests over last year. Animal rights groups have been opposed to the cormorant management from Parks Canada for many years, and have been known to try to disrupt their efforts on Middle Island. In a statement from Parks Canada staff at Point Pelee National Park, they voiced their concern over the growing population. “The current hyper-abundant population of double-crested cormorants nesting on Middle Island poses a serious threat to the island’s fragile Carolinian ecosystem. The guano of nesting double-crested cormorants kills nearby trees and vegetation which provide shelter and food for many rare and threatened plants and animals that make Middle
Island their home, including the Kentucky coffee-tree, wild hyacinth, and the Lake Erie Water Snake.” Parks Canada did not address whether the cormorants pose any threat to habitat in and around Point Pelee National Park, but their presence is certainly noticeable. Derbyshire bagged a few of the birds on opening day along the eastern shoreline of Leamington, where flocks of 200300 birds can be seen resting in the water and in the tops of trees. The daily limit for cormorants is 15 birds. They’re not sought after for their meat. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources asks hunters to discard of the
carcasses responsibly. According to Derbyshire, the commercial fishing industry has its sights on the double-crested cormorant too, as they compete with the cormorants for fish. Cormorants can eat up to a pound of fish per day. One of the cormorants that Derbyshire recently harvested had just eaten a 14inch walleye. “It was pretty fresh,” said Derbyshire. “I thought the fish was still alive but it wasn’t.” The open season on the birds runs until December 31 and is expected to be an annual hunt, which may, over time, decrease the populations of double crested cormorants around the Great Lakes.
Bare trees dot the landscape along the eastern shore of Leamington near the Point Pelee boundary. Locals believe the double crested cormorant is responsible for the loss of foliage. Sun photo
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KINGSVILLE A doublecrested cormorant flexes its wings atop the breakwall at Wheatley Harbour on Tuesday, September 22. Sun photo
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