Cormorant Control

Sean · Post by **Sean** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:57 pm

Ugly bird...looks like a open season with no limit is in order!!!

JFPowers · Post by **JFPowers** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:19 pm

Here is an interesting link to photos of a cormorant eating a full sized Pike

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

Chamber of Commerce · Post by **Chamber of Commerce** » Fri May 16, 2008 9:00 am

".............cormorant eating a full sized Pike."

ONCE!

Chamber of Commerce · Sat May 17, 2008 11:37 am

Dr. Powers

Mr/Ms "online" has some strong views. Do you think that Dr. Sefelt is taking action to stop or slow control of the "water turkey" population? The last time I spoke with her, about a year ago, she said she was not.

My name is Steve West and I approved this message.

Trish Scott · Post by **Trish Scott** » Sun May 18, 2008 1:48 pm

It's disappointing that someone who disagrees with a biologist from CMU would stoop to name calling. CMU adds incredible value to Beaver Island. Even when there is spirited disagreements, it would be appreciated to keep the discussion centered on the issue and not devolve into character assasination.

Trish Scott

MSU Grad but I Sure Appreciate CMU on Beaver Island.

jam · Post by **jam** » Thu May 22, 2008 3:14 am

I thought anonymous negative comments were deleted from this forum?!? Is the previous reference really productive to this discussion?

Post by **Gillespie** » Thu May 22, 2008 9:06 am

Negative comment has been removed! It was a little terse, I agree but one does have to question the LONG process of determining that the icky bird has destroyed the fishery, biology or not the eyes do not lie!! One only has to look at the number of views of this topic to realize there is a whole bunch of interest in repairing the damage!

Chamber of Commerce · Post by **Chamber of Commerce** » Thu May 22, 2008 9:41 am

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

About 50,000 birds in northern Lake Michigan for about 6 months, eating like photo above (about 1.5 lbs/day). Lets see now 50,000 lbs of fish a day times 180 days comes to oh about................

Nine Million (9,000,000) pounds of fish each season.

Naaaaaaaaa that won't impact the fish population.

E T · Post by **E T** » Thu May 22, 2008 4:57 pm

I personally feel they need to be all but eliminated. They are not a pretty site and completely take over their determined nesting area to the detriment of all else. While I am not a true sport fisherman we have to protect our fisheries.

AEW · Post by **AEW** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:57 pm

I began coming to the Island some 17 years ago. When I walked on ANY pier or dock in the habor you could see hundreds and hundres of Bluegill, Pumkin Seed, Perch and bass etc. There were bazillions of them all over the harbor. I would take my kids fishing and the little guys would bite like crazy.
I have now lived here year round for 10 years. The harbor has changed, I have seen flocks of hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of cormorants feasting like rabid chickens! They seem to ebb and flow in flock size but it does NOT take a degree in anything to see what has been happening. Therefore, I volunteer to, without pay, grant, long study involving tons of taxpayer money to determine the obvious (or keep the money coming into any agencies coffures) to buy cans of penetrating oil and spray every damn cormorant egg I see for one season any where in the archipeligo! Between the department of redundency departments, those whose lively hood come from useless tax payer grants and just the plain old nuts things aint getting fixed. Thin the heard (just thin)!!!!!!!! of cormorants and the so called subject matter experts. (there is a big difference from being certified and qualified).

BobTidmore · Post by **BobTidmore** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:14 am

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 8806150597

Chamber of Commerce · Post by **Chamber of Commerce** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:15 pm

I sent the following remarks to Eric Sharp at the Detroit Free Press on 6-16-08

Eric,

Thanks for the well done piece about Cormorants in the Beaver archipelago. It was â??fair and balanced.â?

I take issue strongly with the DNRâ??s Jim Dexter who said:

â??Beaver Island lost the bass fishing 30 or 40 years ago, partly because anglers took too many bass.â?

â??That is Bovine Scatology of the highest order. Itâ??s sad that Dexter is carrying water for Cormorant feeding deniers. I was fishing the Beaver archipelago for bass in the 1970â??s. Bass were still present in good numbers. However, the modern age of bass fishing had dawned, catch and release was the watchword. Sport fisherman are usually the first to react to declining numbers of fish by not eating them,â? said Steve West. â??The DNR has zero fisheries data for the Beaver Island group and ignores the single scientific study which concludes that Cormorants are the reason for the lack of small mouth bass abundance.â?

The fact is Eric; 50,000 Cormorants live in northern Lake Michigan for about six month each year. They eat in excess of 10,000,000 pounds of fish annually. For obvious reasons they target the easiest to reach, shallow water, prey first. Even the Colonial nesting bird interests donâ??t deny that. This is not tricky! Cormorants are the principal cause of the â??bass crash.â?

Indeed in the 1950-60â??s there was some â??cooler fillingâ? fishing. By 1975, NO MORE!

Steve West

Beaver Island Michigan

Cormorant Control

Negative comments

Commorants

I can help!!!

Good Article