cormorants feasting on stocked trout

[Gillripper1]

Took a drive to Mt. Hope pond last week and counted over 30 of the devil birds there. State put in 410 trout and 50 breeders. These birds are amazing fish eators and will eat 4 per day on average. I would not be suprised if they get almost all of the 10" and many of the breeders that are 20" or less. They need killin' asap. If anyone fishes there on the opener, give a report on the total trout you see caught.

[loustru]

I've been seeing increasing numbers of these waterfowl vermin the last 5 years on all the big lakes and resevoirs I fish,(Clinton Res., Merril Creek, Round Valley, Wawayanda LK. I see no value in their existence except to decimate fish populations. Cormorants being waterfowl, is it true they are protected to some extent? Maybe it's time to change that regulation. We as fishermen pay good $ on licences  and trout stamps which the state uses to grow and stock the fish which these eating machines feast on.Maybe we need a spring waterfowl season. Just my opinion,Lou.

[hinkydo]

Been saying for years that the vermin, cormorant, should be taking care of.
They are  non  native waterfowl and have desecrated our smallmouth bass in lake Ontario.
Another bad non native, being a fish, gobies.

                                                           hinkydo

[dmntd169]

I've been seeing increasing numbers of these waterfowl vermin the last 5 years on all the big lakes and resevoirs I fish,(Clinton Res., Merril Creek, Round Valley, Wawayanda LK. I see no value in their existence except to decimate fish populations. Cormorants being waterfowl, is it true they are protected to some extent? Maybe it's time to change that regulation. We as fishermen pay good $ on licences  and trout stamps which the state uses to grow and stock the fish which these eating machines feast on.Maybe we need a spring waterfowl season. Just my opinion,Lou.

Unfortunately that's exactly the case 

http://www.animallaw.info/articles/dduscormorantconflict.htm

I followed how they were being handled up on Onieda lake in NY since I have quite a few friends who fish it and were involved and IMHO opinion it was a joke. They did nothing to really combat the overpopulation other than try to keep them from staying on Onieda. Basically all they did was tried to make it unfavorable for them to stay so they'd move onto other lakes to feed 

[bigredfishing]

Unfortunately that's exactly the case  

http://www.animallaw.info/articles/dduscormorantconflict.htm

I followed how they were being handled up on Onieda lake in NY since I have quite a few friends who fish it and were involved and IMHO opinion it was a joke. They did nothing to really combat the overpopulation other than try to keep them from staying on Onieda. Basically all they did was tried to make it unfavorable for them to stay so they'd move onto other lakes to feed  

Actually a good friend of mine did that work on oneida for years.   He got to kill tens of thouasands of comorants, and destroyed even more eggs and nests.  The government had them killing as many birds as they could.  Problem was that even more would come and take their place.

[ratso]

You pay for your trout stamp, but there is no guarantee . And the invasive species that take away the trout, bass and whatever, jeopardize the the fisheries that we all support. They shoot the birds that put people in airplanes in danger around NYC, why not oil the eggs of the cormorants and reduce or eliminate an invasive species. Here and anyplace they set up shop, they should be  removed. Its a task that will take years.

[dmntd169]

Actually a good friend of mine did that work on oneida for years.   He got to kill tens of thouasands of comorants, and destroyed even more eggs and nests.  The government had them killing as many birds as they could.  Problem was that even more would come and take their place.

the few guys I knew that participated where told they weren't allowed to kill them and all they could do was try to scare them off...maybe since they were volunteers they were told different 

[bigredfishing]

the few guys I knew that participated where told they weren't allowed to kill them and all they could do was try to scare them off...maybe since they were volunteers they were told different  

yes, that would be my guess.  My buddy worked for the USDA and was given a government issued baretta shotgun.   They did alot of harrassing of the birds too, along with oiling eggs.   I think there was certain times they couldn't shoot birds, but when it was on, they would kill thousands at a clip, go through cases and cases of shells.

[landlockedsalmon]

Just need to put the word out that they taste good,they will be gone in no time.LLS

[ship of fools]

Maybe on July 4 some year it would make sense to kill a bunch of them where they nest     

[bigredfishing]

one of the biggest problems is that while the US is trying to cut the numbers down as much as possible, canada is doing the opposite; protecting them...so it is almost impossible to do anything in terms of control when only 1/2 the continent is trying.

[fishfighter]

the few guys I knew that participated where told they weren't allowed to kill them and all they could do was try to scare them off...maybe since they were volunteers they were told different 

Was it Oneida or some other place years ago that someone went on a shooting spree, killing a bunch of cormorants/stomping their nests (the numbers were in the thousands), they got caught, not long after that, the DEC determined that the numbers did need thinning and began to spray the nests/eggs to reduce the numbers.  Sometimes the wrong actions that are taken are necessary to open the eyes of some that believe no action is required.

[bigredfishing]

Was it Oneida or some other place years ago that someone went on a shooting spree, killing a bunch of cormorants/stomping their nests (the numbers were in the thousands), they got caught, not long after that, the DEC determined that the numbers did need thinning and began to spray the nests/eggs to reduce the numbers.  Sometimes the wrong actions that are taken are necessary to open the eyes of some that believe no action is required.

that was little galloo island in lake ontario...kinda sad when it takes something like that for DEC to decide they need to act.

[ship of fools]

Was it Oneida or some other place years ago that someone went on a shooting spree, killing a bunch of cormorants/stomping their nests (the numbers were in the thousands), they got caught, not long after that, the DEC determined that the numbers did need thinning and began to spray the nests/eggs to reduce the numbers.  Sometimes the wrong actions that are taken are necessary to open the eyes of some that believe no action is required.

the people involved had been pleading their case to DEC for quite some time in an effort to save their livelihood   

[Fishermantim]

They have been an ongoing issue for decades, and the powers that be (the ones we pay so we can fish) will do nothing about them.
I don't blame the birds, as they only did what nature demands for a species to survive.....they have to adapt!
Cormorants used to be primarily a sea-going bird, content to hunt in the shallow coastal waters of New England.
That was, until WE (humans) decided to overfish the coastal groundfish grounds. This caused an evolutionary change in the sea-faring birds, making them search INLAND for fish that they could hunt.

What did they find? a constant supply of perfectly sized trout in many ponds, rivers and lakes. These trout were usually easy to catch because they tended to stick together close to shore for awhile before they became fully acclimated to their new waters.

Unfortunately, the ocean going drive has effectively been bred out of these birds. Now they migrate to our local trout ponds just before stocking begins, anticipating the bounty they will have first crack at!

Here's something to mull over.....if an average cormorant were to eat just 1 trout a day, that's roughly 200 fish per bird for the season. Multiply that by the number of birds in one colony and the annual trout stocking allotmnt is gone to the birds!
Sure, there's room for error in my calculations, but not enough to dismiss this as pure bunk!

Jamaica Pond in Boston is one such pond. They have a stocking every spring, and the 20+ comorants are waiting for the free food every year.
Add to that the 50+ Canadian geese that call this pond home every year, and it adds up to one big stinking pile of crap. I stopped fishing there because the fish are so scarce, it's not worth my time to stand there and hope to just catch a 5"sunfish or yellow perch

Hopefully your areas are faring better....