“Its a human issue”: Controversial Cormorant Hunt Perplexes Local Biologists

Let nature take its course.
That’s the message from local biologists who are perplexed with the cormorant hunt that opens next week. The provincial government announced this summer that a fall hunt of cormorants across Ontario will take place Sept. 15 to Dec. 31.
The bag limit on these birds will be 15 per person — but they’re not edible, according to biologists who say they have many issues with next week’s hunt.

“I’m frustrated. I don’t understand it, to be frank,” he said [Dr. Steve Cooke – Carleton University]. “It’s not linked to an evidence-based approach. It’s inconsistent with ethical hunting behaviour, which is something else they promote as an organization. The idea that flesh should not be wasted — if we’re going to kill things, then we eat them. Myself and others in the scientist community are certainly scratching our heads, baffled as to why a historically science-based organization has taken up this cause.” Read More