Cormorants

[Jigger]

Last Tuesday night I and about 175 other concerned fishermen attended the FWS hosted meeting concerning Cormorants in Mackinaw City, Mi. After a slide projector presentation by the FWS outlining their proposed solution to the problem the meeting was thrown open to any and all attendies to speak their piece. I guess there were at least 25 who got up, voicing their concerns, each one pleading with the FWS to do something about these birds. One speaker asked if there were any members of the Audobon Society or PETA there; no one stood up. Perhaps they were there but intimidated by a rather large, surly crowd.
Anyway, it came out during the meeting that the FWS has granted some Cormorant execution orders when petitioned by some groups, for example, fish farmers in the south are allowed to do whatever is necessary to protect their crop. The Hiawatha Club in the eastern half of the UP (1200 members) were granted the right to shoot them because they were decimating their trout rearing ponds. A speaker from there indicated that after hunting them for 5 months last year they had managed to kill a total of 100 birds. They are extremely wary, they present a small target, can't be decoyed (how could you set out a block of fish?),and are very hard to kill. There will have to be another form of eradication which is now under consideration by the FWS and DNR.
The best thing I took away from this meeting is the fact that the FWS at least considers these birds a threat (at last!) and they plan to do something about it. Their final solution will be at least partially based on the input at these public meetings which end Feb. 28th. They hope to have a program in place by mid summer 2002. The FWS slide presentation included five possible solutions and the one they were leaning toward included some means of harvest; not just their present plan which is limited to harrassing the ##### things but not hurting them; unless there is proven depredation, as in the case of fish farms. It appears there is light at the end of the tunnel,the brilliance of that light will be partially governed by the input they get at these meetings. If there is a meeting in your area, ATTEND!! If the government and the DNR work at their normal snail's pace, and mess things up in their normal manner it could be a long time coming and will probably be rather convoluted, but at least something is coming. Our representative here in northern Michiga, Bart Stupak and Scott Shackleton are strongly behind us. Get out and speak you piece. Jigger

[ETT]

Tuff issue with the dern things being on the Federal Endangered Species list. Was the use of vegatable oil on eggs discuused. If not it should have been. That has proved effective other places, in slowing down over-population. Let me know.

[Jigger]

Yes, ETT, they did discuss oiling eggs as one of the control methods. As I mentioned in my original post, hunting them is not a very good option. As stated, they are hard to kill and if they had a hunting season concurrent with the current waterfowl seasons most of the cormorants will be gone by then. Several of us discussed the issue of "how do you oil eggs in trees?" and that is unresolved. In my observations, in the area I fish (St Marys River) most of them are ground nesters because their feces has destroyed the vegetation. Jigger

[ETT]

Can be done with crop dusting technology, or in ground nesting situations, a simple garden variety spray can by hand.

You should see what they're doing to the Sister Islands, and they've started on Kellys.

[FreeByrd]

This is a long one but contains info from the FWS on the meetings and the dates/locations of remaining mtgs. Too bad there is nothing in OH. SW side of West Sister Island is unbelievable. Almost totally barren!
Steve

Office of Public Affairs

1849 C Street, NW

Washington, DC 20240

202/208 5634 Fax: 202/219 2428


December 18, 2001 Chris Tollefson 202-208-5634

SERVICE ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETINGS ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ON DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT MANAGEMENT

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the dates, times and locations of a series of 10 public meetings that will be held in January and February across the nation to gather comments on and discuss a recently released draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for double-crested cormorants. The Service also announced a six week extension of the public comment period on the draft EIS, changing the deadline for public comments to February 28, 2002.

The draft EIS analyzes various options for managing rapidly growing cormorant populations in order to reduce conflicts with recreational fishing, commercial aquaculture, and other birds and natural resources.

"We encourage the public to attend these meetings or to comment on the draft environmental impact statement in writing. Public input is vital as we craft a management strategy that ensures healthy cormorant populations while reducing conflicts with humans," said Tom Melius, the Service's assistant director for migratory birds and state programs.

Cormorants have been federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act since 1972, a period when their populations had dropped precipitously due to use of the pesticide DDT, killings by humans and the overall declining health of many ecosystems, especially that of the Great Lakes. Today, the population is at historic highs, due in large part to the presence of ample food in their summer and winter ranges, federal and state protection, and reduced contaminant levels.

Between 1970 and 1991, in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada the number of double-crested cormorant nests increased from 89 to 38,000, with an average annual increase of 29 percent. By 1997, the Great Lakes population had reached approximately 93,000 pairs. The total population of double-crested cormorants in the U.S. and Canada has most recently been estimated at approximately 2 million birds.

The population resurgence of double-crested cormorants has led to increasing concern about the birds' impact on commercial and recreational fishery resources. The draft EIS evaluates six management alternatives, including such options as continuing or expanding current management practices, implementing only non-lethal management techniques, issuing a new Depredation Order to address public resource conflicts (the Service's proposed alternative), reducing cormorant populations at a regional level, and establishing frameworks for a cormorant hunting season.

- 2 -

The Service's proposed action would establish a new Depredation Order authorizing State, Tribal, and Federal land management agencies to implement a double-crested cormorant management program, while maintaining Federal oversight of populations via reporting and monitoring requirements to ensure sustainable populations. Control activities carried out under this new depredation order would take place on public and private lands and waters where double-crested cormorant populations are having a negative impact on public resources such as fish, plants and other wildlife. Under this action, the 1998 Aquaculture Depredation Order would continue to allow cormorants to be taken at commercial freshwater aquaculture facilities and State-owned fish hatcheries in 13 States and would be expanded to include winter roost control by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services Program in those States. A Service regulation prohibiting lethal control of cormorants under most circumstances at National Fish Hatcheries would be revoked.

Dates, locations and times of the public meetings follow:

* Green Bay, Wisconsin - Monday, January 7, 2002, 7p.m.; Ramada Plaza Hotel, 2750 Ramada Way

* Mackinaw City, Michigan - Tuesday, January 8, 2002, 7p.m.; Hamilton Inn Select,

701 S. Huron Avenue

* Washington, DC - Wednesday, January 16, 2002, 10a.m.; Main Interior Building Auditorium, 1849 C Street, NW

* Athens, Texas - Monday, February 4, 2002, 7p.m.; Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center,

5550 Flat Creek Road (Farm Road 2495)

* Jackson, Mississippi -Tuesday, February 5, 2002, 6 p.m.; Clarion Hotel and Convention Center, 400 Greymont Avenue

* Little Rock, Arkansas - Wednesday, February 6, 2002, 6 p.m.; University of Arkansas

Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, 2301 S. University Avenue

* South Burlington, Vermont - Monday, February 11, 2002, 7p.m.; Clarion Hotel,

1117 Williston Road

* Watertown, New York - Tuesday, February 12, 2002, 7p.m., Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington Street

* Syracuse, New York - Wednesday, February 13, 2002, 7p.m., Sheraton University Hotel

801 University Avenue



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* Portland, Oregon - Tuesday, February 19, 2002, 7p.m., Doubletree Hotel - Lloyd Center

1000 NE Multnomah

The Service invites the public to comment on the draft EIS at these meetings and in writing. Written comments must be received by February 28, 2002. Comments may be mailed or delivered to the Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 634, Arlington, Virginia 22203. In addition, comments on the DEIS may be submitted via the internet to: cormorant_eis@fws.gov, or via fax at (703) 358-2272.

Requests for copies of the DEIS should be mailed to Chief, Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 634, Arlington, Virginia 22203. Copies of the DEIS can also be downloaded from the Division of Migratory Bird Management web site at: http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/issues/cormorant/cormorant.html. For further information, call the division at (703) 358-1714.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

- FWS -

For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov

[bob oh]

They better get started on the Sister islands soon or there won't be anything left to save.

[SUPERTROLLER]

The best solution I have heard is to release live-trapped raccoons onto these islands and let them eat as many eggs as they can get at. The FWS won't stop wild animals from preying on other animals or birds. It would obviously need to be done in the spring during egg laying time.

[conch]

Jigger,

We up here in the North country have had the same problem.My father
has been a charter capt in the thousand island area for approx 20yrs.
The birds have been addressed with the oiling the eggs with no new birds,however the same number continue to progress.You maybe
interseted to know he was one of the magnificent 7 who stepped up and did something about it. He ended up on house arrest and numerous fines $$$..There has been lots of articles about the incident the best one was in boat us.