ODW secures permits to cull cormorants in 2018

In May 2016, a lawsuit halted a public resource depredation order that was issued in 2003 for Double-crested cormorant management.The court agreed with a group challenging the thoroughness of the application procedures that was used to request the renewal of the existing permit. A judge demanded that a required, yet to be prepared environmental assessment be submitted as part of the decision-making process that would determine the merits of continuing the culls.At the time, the depredation permit was being used in 24 states to control cormorant numbers, mainly to protect sport fish populations. The Ohio Division of Wildlife was not allowed to conduct their culls in 2017 where cormorants were impacting other bird species by destroying habitat and consuming fish at the state hatcheries. Thankfully, they were able to obtain their own permits for the 2018 season.Cormorant populations have climbed to nuisance levels in many locations around the Great Lakes states and Ontario — aided by better winter nutrition at the expense of southern aquaculture facilities. This leads to higher survival rates and better breeding conditions as they return to their spring nesting range.In May, the Committee of Advisors to the Great Lakes Fishery commission asked for the support of various relevant international agencies and organizations to work on an overreaching, long-term plan for Great Lakes cormorant control, where they have been shown to negatively impact the fishery and the ecosystem.They cite that each cormorant consumes about one pound of fish per day, including predation on alewives, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. They found that negative impacts on fisheries result in significant economic loss; loss of jobs; property damage; and enormous ecological, social and cultural impacts.Herons and egrets that use the islands in Lake Erie have specific tree size nesting requirements that would be eliminated in time by unchecked population growth of the cormorant population.Copious, acidic droppings from overwhelming numbers of cormorants burn the leaves off the understory vegetation, preventing young trees from surviving to become future nest trees.Even the Black Swamp Bird Observatory Executive Director Kimberly Kaufman supports the culls on West Sister Island as necessary to protect the rarer herons and egrets there from the devastating effects of the cormorant population explosion.Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Manager Jason Lewis noted during a recent interview that non-toxic ammunition was used there this year."The management of Double-crested cormorants on West Sister Island is critical to the habitat sustainability essential to the nesting birds on the island," Lewis said. "The refuge is committed to working with the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the USDA Wildlife Services Unit to remove cormorants impacting critical colonial waterbird nesting habitats on West Sister and other islands on Lake Erie."Additional locations where cormorant culls have been authorized, with the approved numbers in parentheses are at the state fish hatcheries, including St. Marys/Mercer Wildlife Area/Grand Lake St. Marys (350), Seneca (100), Hebron (50), London (10) and Kinkaid (6).At the St. Marys State Fish Hatchery, the hardest hit last year, they raise yellow perch, saugeyes, walleyes, channel catfish and blue catfish for inland lake stockings and fathead minnows to feed muskie fingerlings being raised at the Kinkaid and London hatcheries.According to Hatchery superintendent Morton Pugh, cormorants preyed heavily upon their fish last year when they did not have an active depredation permit.As many as 100 cormorants at a time fed in a one-acre pond, successfully coming up with a fish almost every time they dove underwater.Pugh discovered that they ate almost every fish in some ponds. He said that they also spooked the other fish in the ponds from feeding, which impacted their growth rates and condition and likely caused poorer survival after they were stocked.Ohio State Fish Hatchery program administrator Kevin Kayle summed up the need for cormorant culls at the hatcheries."In 2017, uncontrolled cormorant populations feasted in Ohio's State fish hatcheries," Kayle said. "They ate well over a quarter million fish, valued at almost $200,000."Fish species included channel catfish, blue catfish, yellow perch and muskellunge," he added. "Because the cormorants ate small hatchery fish that were part of the production slated for yearling and catchable stockings, the effects will be felt for several years down the line."Lake Erie fishermen will be glad to hear that 2,157 cormorants were shot at Turning Point Island in the Sandusky Bay; 2,000 on West Sister Island — and 503 on Green Island this season.