Culling of Cormorants on Rice Lake

[mistyriver1]

Up till two years ago there were a ton of cormorants on Rice Lake. Then last year they were all gone. I have been told that there was an organized "cull" of them. I can't find anything online about it.

Does anyone know ?

[danbouck]

shhhhh!

[Greencoachdog]

They taste like chicken!!!

 

We have a few, but for some reason... they don't last too long down here!

[Whitespinnerbait]

Then last year they were all gone.

 

 

[Crazyhook]

hey if you fin out who did it I have a few more spots to " cull"

[Harrison]

If the ministry reads this... I volunteer to help in future culls.

 

I am interested to find out as well! Maybe they just moved to Simcoe, it is sick the amount of birds there.

[misfish]

I cant say who,but I recall one day out on Rice,I asked why the numbers were down.I was replied with,well the cottagers take care of this problem.Secretly. Just saying what I was told.

Take it as I was told.

[Dabluz]

I seem to have read somewhere that along the St-Lawrence, biologists have been spraying cormorant eggs with "Pam" in order to kill the eggs. Just breaking the eggs only causes the cormorants to lay more eggs.

[highdrifter]

I seem to have read somewhere that along the St-Lawrence, biologists have been spraying cormorant eggs with "Pam" in order to kill the eggs. Just breaking the eggs only causes the cormorants to lay more eggs.

 

Might have been mineral oil.. TRCA uses it on the ground nests on bird island here on the Leslie Spit.. Been doing so for years. Doesn't look to be slowing them down much. Couldn't find any info on the numbers here either.

 

Wonder if the cottagers have their own methods and it's hush hush.

[fishindude]

Just out of curiosity, could people be charged for killing cormorants even though they are not a native species?

[young_one]

Less cormorant please!

I know a hot spot, willing to break forum rules to give out GPS cordinates on this one!

hint, near the sunken railway.

[Jonny]

Anybody, ministry or otherwise, that culls cormorants is aces in my book (as long as it's done safely).

[Steelcat]

I think the number of cormorants on Rice Lake has increased ALOT this year. Those trees on the tiny islands along the sunken railroad close to Harwood are dead because of them. Not far away, on Paudaush Island, earlier this season it was covered with green trees.... but in late summer I could see trees starting to die off with cormorants standing on them...

 

 

I actually sent an email to MNR about the cormorants issue on Rice Lake and this is the reply...

 

Hi,

 

Your recent email to the MNR website was forwarded to me to respond to.

 

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act allows landowners to take actions against most wildlife species (see the list of exceptions below) in protection of property. Under Section 31 of the Act,

 

· there must be “reasonable grounds” to believe that wildlife is damaging or about to damage the person’s property.

 

· control activities can only occur on the property owner’s own property.

 

a person may not harass, capture or kill more wildlife than is necessary to protect the property or cause unnecessary suffering to the wildlife

 

Property owners may harass, capture or kill for the purposes of property protection, any wildlife species except for the following:

 

· moose, caribou, or elk

 

· white-tailed deer (unless specifically authorized by a deer removal authorization)

 

· endangered species protected by the Endangered Species Act (see section 2 of the Act).

 

The MNR has worked with landowners on Rice Lake over the last few years to inform them of their rights as property owners with respect to protection of property outlined above.

 

If you have any further questions about protection of property rights, please contact Eric Prevost, A/ Sr. Fish and Wildlife Technical Specialist at the Peterborough MNR office ([email protected])

 

Regards,

 

Dan Taillon

 

Area Biologist, Peterborough Area

Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough District

300 Water Street, 1st Floor, South Tower

Peterborough, ON, K9J 8M5

Phone: (705) 755-3302

Fax: (705) 755-3125

Email: [email protected]

[mistyriver1]

Appreciate the replies. However it was a accomplished is fine by me.

 

Harrison: I've seen them on Simcoe. They've moved up to Nipissing as well

 

Steelcat: Appreciate the letter you posted. You find they've gone up eh. Hmm. They were still down on the areas that I fish, in fact the trees were growing back on the islands where they used to be.

[BillM]

12 gauge gun shots dissipate extremely well out on Gbay

[Jonny]

Note that technically it's legal to shoot cormorants only if you're protecting your own property. If that island is crown land, they'll let the cormorants kill it off.

[CLofchik]

Just out of curiosity, could people be charged for killing cormorants even though they are not a native species?

 

1) Yes

2) They ARE a native species, which is part of problem for getting the okay as control measures go.

[SylvanOwner]

My understanding as far as the legality of shooting/harassing these birds goes is not so much that they are native but because they are protected under the Migratory Bird Act.

[LeXXington]

protected under the Migratory Bird Act .. yeap or they would all be gone by hunting season

[fishindude]

Thanks for clearing that up as I am not a hunter, good to know!

 

It's too bad they don't make jackets with cormorant feathers!

[bigfish1965]

I wonder if land owners can transfer the right to defend their land to another? I know you can legally hire a trapper to rid beaver...hmmm.

Oh and from what I remember, using a .22 was more effective cause the sound of the shotgun scattered the birds.

I wouldn't want to fire anything stronger and risk skipping a bullet across the lake.