The Destructive Cormarant

[Catch 22]

For the last 5 years the cormorant population has been ever present with expanding populations that are simply destroying fish stocks in local ponds and coastal waters here on the Delmarva shore.They are eating machines that can easily swallow a 12" fish.My local home pond fishing is mere  shadow of what it used to be.

 

They are federally protected and suffer very little predation naturally . So they over populate with nothing to control it.Many states have reduction plans in effect, where it is proven that they are having a negative impact on local fish populations and economy.

 

Check this read to see how fast they populate.

http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Current/CormorantEIS.aspx

 

Does anyone else see the  problem with these flying rats 

C22.

[Bluebasser86]

I saw a video recently where they'd allowed taking them like regular waterfowl. They really need to put some kind of culling plan into effect to control the population. We have crazy numbers of shad, bluegill, and white bass in a lot of the lakes around here and the water turkeys aren't too thick yet but it's only a matter of time. 

[CRANKENSTIEN]

I'm seeing more all the time but I don't think we have enough to effect much. Yet.

[J Francho]

I saw some research recently that showed bass and panfish make up a statistically insignificant portion of their diet. I hate the things, and we have quite a few bajillion of them here in NY, but they aren't the scourge that they have been made out to be. Biggest issue is them pooping in everything - pretty much the same issue with another comeback bird, Canada Goose.

[Glenn]

They're abundant in my area, and they're decimating the food chain.  This is a very, very destructive bird.  They feed primarily on the forage base, thus eliminating the food source for predatory fish like bass. Unfortunately, the fish and wildlife service isn't proactive, and only reacts once it's too late.

 

Lot's of information can be found here: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdIssues/Management/cormorant/cormorant.html

[Matthew2000]

I saw some research recently that showed bass and panfish make up a statistically insignificant portion of their diet. I hate the things, and we have quite a few bajillion of them here in NY, but they aren't the scourge that they have been made out to be. Biggest issue is them pooping in everything - pretty much the same issue with another comeback bird, Canada Goose.

Think that's bad look up snow geese in New Zealand.

[Shanes7614]

They are everywhere in Florida in NUMBERS!!!! Constant eating machines and also carry giardia and **** everywhere. Some kind of control plan needs to be come up with to manage them!!!

[RSM789]

We have 2 of them on my 100 acre home lake.  We don't have any shad, the smaller fish are just minnows & juvenile sunfish, bass, catfish & carp.  I am assuming these smaller fish are what they are feeding on.

 

My question revolves around my home lake being catch & release only.  I know on smaller bodies of water that the best management is to harvest some of the smaller fish.  Since fishermen aren't allowed to do that on my lake, would a couple of cormorants actually be helpful in this harvesting?

 

If not, any suggestions on legal things a fisherman can do to make a cormorant want to leave?

[BannedForSpamming-1234555]

We have lots of these in Toronto and in our parks.

 

They're bad news for our fisheries.

[Matthew2000]

We have 2 of them on my 100 acre home lake.  We don't have any shad, the smaller fish are just minnows & juvenile sunfish, bass, catfish & carp.  I am assuming these smaller fish are what they are feeding on.

 

My question revolves around my home lake being catch & release only.  I know on smaller bodies of water that the best management is to harvest some of the smaller fish.  Since fishermen aren't allowed to do that on my lake, would a couple of cormorants actually be helpful in this harvesting?

 

If not, any suggestions on legal things a fisherman can do to make a cormorant want to leave?

Paintball of air soft gun , maybe even a sling shot.

[RoLo]

Over the past few years alone, the cormorant population in Florida has exploded multifold.

It's not the bird's fault that it was born a cormorant, but as Glenn pointed out,

they're unfortunately impacting the forage base in many major lakes.

In Le Cheneaux Islands, Lake Michgan, cormorants took the rap for the collapsed yellow perch fishery.

 

About a month ago, Lois & I were fishing in Lake Eloise, Florida (former home of Cypress Gardens).

There were several hundred cormorants perched along the shoreline trees. Determined to fish the cypress knees,

I placed the Triton directly underneath the black mass of feathers. Well, that was a mistake,

because Lois & I got mass bombarded. The next day we spent an hour cleaning cormorant droppings off the boat  :-((

 

Roger

[Bluebasser86]

Paintball of air soft gun , maybe even a sling shot.

Better not, they're protected by the Migratory Bird Act so I'm sure harassing them could result in a stiff fine. 

[J Francho]

I don't care for them at all, but I think their affect is overblown.

[MassBass]

They are part of the ecosystem. They contribute to the biomass balance of rivers, lakes and watersheds. I think we can fish alongside these birds.

[gulfcaptain]

Paintball of air soft gun , maybe even a sling shot

I'd advice you to NOT do that.  You can kill them with paintballs or a sling shot and air soft are plastic pellets.  

 

Natural way, find someone that has a Cooper's Hawk to run them little well things off.  Have a couple that showed up in the small pond close to where I live.  As much as I hate them they actually improved it by culling and removing a lot of the 6-10" bass that were in there and stunted.  But then a group of about 50 pretty much wiped out the shad population in another pond.  Only relieve for the forage was the stocked trout the state fed them every two weeks.

[Catch 22]

Some of you might remember this vigilante action against the cormorants in New York. I know some of the defendants and have stayed at their place and fished with them. All good people just trying to protect their jobs and well being. 

C22

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/09/nyregion/9-men-plead-guilty-to-slaughtering-cormorants-to-protect-sport-fishing.html

[Matthew2000]

I'd advice you to NOT do that.  You can kill them with paintballs or a sling shot and air soft are plastic pellets.  

 

Natural way, find someone that has a Cooper's Hawk to run them little well things off.  Have a couple that showed up in the small pond close to where I live.  As much as I hate them they actually improved it by culling and removing a lot of the 6-10" bass that were in there and stunted.  But then a group of about 50 pretty much wiped out the shad population in another pond.  Only relieve for the forage was the stocked trout the state fed them every two weeks.

I highly doubt that a paintball gun will kill a comorant. The hawk is a very good idea though.

[gulfcaptain]

I highly doubt that a paintball gun will kill a comorant. The hawk is a very good idea though.

Niether did I until I saw it happen on accident.  We used paintball guns as a seal deterent when I worked on a sportboat.  Needless to say a deckhand decided to shoot a comarant, it didn't make it. So out of experience I can tell you yes they will if you hit them in the right place.  Not to metion you could possibly injure them and break a wing (then you have enviormentalists to deal with) which could lead to putting fisherman in a not so pleasent spotlight..

 

 Only other trick I have witnessed to get them to leave is run and spook them in a boat until they leave....this would only work on a small body of water say 5-10acres at most and that's if you can use a boat.  

[RoLo]

Lake Eloise in Winter Haven, Florida supports literally thousands of cormorants (Home of Legoland).

Any hawk smaller than a goshawk would be foolish to tackle a cormorant, which is a considerably larger bird.

On the other hand, the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes supports a strong population of barred owls and great horned owls.

Although a barred owl poses little threat to a cormorant, I'm sure that great horned owls take their share every night.

Sadly, the horned owl population isn't large enough to put a dent in the cormorant population.

 

Roger

[Catch 22]

 I was watching River Monsters today and one shot showed several of those swimming rats on shore. J Wade was somewhere  in Africa.

[Catch 22]

Looks like a catfish going down