The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is considering killing about 6,000 double crested cormorants  in Lake Michigan and on the shorelines of Green Bay, in order to reduce their predatory effect on sport fish. 

The DNR hasn’t officially announced the plan just yet, but it’s sure to receive tons of criticism from bird enthusiasts and animal rights folks, while garnering support from many anglers.  The plan would intend to cut the numbers of the once endangered birds to about half of their current level. 

Cormorants have recovered from low population levels all around the country, and are beginning to present a challenge to fishery managers in many areas.  For instance, cormorants are believed to be a significant cause of predation on Atlantic salmon in rivers in the northeastern U.S.

The issue of predator control has been a touchy one, however, which has made it difficult for fisheries managers to ‘get things done’ when they need to.  One could argue about the effectiveness about cormorant control, and I am personally unaware of the research behind this topic, but I certainly believe that experimental evaluation of these control projects is important in determining their effectiveness. 

The Wisconsin DNR cormorant program is sure to be controversial, but I certainly hope it goes through, and can be used as an additional learning tool to allow us to evaluate how effective these control efforts truly are, and if these efforts should be practiced in other situations.

Read the news story here