PETERBOROUGH—Another bill has been put forward provincially for better cormorant control in Ontario, again calling for amendments in the current Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 to allow for hunting and trapping of double-crested cormorants. The bill is receiving support from Manitoulin fish and game clubs and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
“MPP Bob Bailey (Sarnia-Lambton) has put forward Bill 205, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation (an act to amend the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997) to remove protections for double-crested cormorants to allow for hunting and trapping of them,” stated Greg Farrant, of the OFAH, last week. He pointed out this is the same bill that has been put forward at least twice before, including from former Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Brown, that was rejected by the provincial government.
“Cormorant numbers have probably gone down locally from what they were because of a lack of bait fish for instance in Lake Huron on the south side, and alewife have been almost totally taken out of the system,” said Ian Anderson of the United Fish and Game Club of Manitoulin (UFGCM).
Read more link: www.manitoulin.ca/2016/05/27/local-fish-game-clubs-support-cormorant-motion/