Federal proposal to kill double-crested cormorants in Ohio latest in series of attacks on protected waterfowl

AKRON — Once endangered in the Great Lakes region, double-crested cormorants — dark, long-necked waterfowl often spotted in Lake Erie's western basin — are facing a new threat of potential extermination authorized by the federal government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Service is seeking public comments through Jan. 15 on whether to authorize killing unspecified numbers of the birds, which are native to Ohio and now protected, and destroying their nests and eggs. That agency, in coordination with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge released a 75-page report on the issue. After the Jan. 15 comment deadline, USDA will respond to the comments and issue a final environmental assessment before it reaches a final decision, according to an agency spokeswoman. The development is the latest in a decades-long history of cormorants angering Ohio fishermen, since the birds can eat up to a pound of fish per day and are routinely blamed for affecting the state's aquaculture production. The size of a small goose, the dark-colored birds with bright blue eyes can nest on the ground or in trees, and often live in colonies, such as the one of about 1,049 breeding pairs on West Sister Island, north of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Lake Erie's western basin, according to the USDA report. In total, Ohio is home to about 3,561 double-crested cormorant nests for an estimated breeding population of about 7,122 in 2020, according to the Ohio Department of Wildlife. Their population has increased steadily over recent decades, due in large part to federal protections and environmental regulations. Cormorants in the Great Lakes The birds have faced threats from human predation, pesticides and pollution. Anglers systematically killed cormorants in the 1940s-60s by shooting them, oiling eggs so the embryos suffocated and setting traps, often with the blessing of the U.S. and Canadian governments. Their population also declined due to the use of the pesticide DDT and chemical pollution from PCBs, which the birds absorbed from the fat of the fish they ate. Both DDT and PCBs were connected with a thinning of eggshells, which is especially a problem for cormorants, who incubate their eggs by standing on them and wrapping them in their webbed feet. According to Environment Canada, fewer than 250 cormorants remained in the entire Great Lakes basin by 1973 — a fraction of their population in the early 1950s. Just as the birds were most endangered, the U.S. and Canadian governments passed environmental protection laws and signed treaties to protect cormorants, other migratory waterfowl and the bodies of water where they feed. The double-crested cormorant became federally protected in 1972, and killing them is prohibited unless authorized by the government as specified in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In 1976, two birdwatchers spotted cormorants in Ohio for the first time in years, and their population has exploded since. The birds first colonized at the federal sanctuary on West Sister Island in 1992 with 182 pairs. Other colonies are found in and around the Portage Lakes in Summit County, Meander Reservoir in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park/Mercer Wildlife Area in Mercer County, Big Island Wildlife Areain Marion County and a quarry in Franklin County. Stanley Senner, vice president for bird conservation for the National Audubon Society, told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that the bird's history is one of resiliency. "They are very interesting birds; they're quite charismatic," Senner said. "They have real personality to them and they're quite smart." Nat Miller, director of conservation for Audubon Great Lakes, said double-crested cormorants are fascinating and beloved by the birding community. Concerns from Ohio's fishing industry As the cormorant population increased, so did the frustration of fishermen, who blamed the birds in large part for a decline in fish harvests over the years. In 1987, private and charter fishing boats in Ohio harvested 3.75 million walleye west of Huron, but by 1994, that plummeted to 992,000. According to the USDA's latest report, 43 aquaculture producers reported damage by double-crested cormorants. In all, the agency said it received 161 requests from "public, private and government agencies" for assistance managing the birds in Ohio. A spokeswoman refused a request from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer to identify the agencies that made the requests. In 2017, Ohio State University surveyed the state's aquaculture producers, and 67 percent responded that double-crested cormorants were the main fish-eating bird negatively affecting production. The same year, the Ohio Division of Wildlife's six fish hatcheries were unable to kill cormorants and reported losing 273,386 fish valued at $199,431 to double-crested cormorant consumption. Feds consider lethal measures The USDA is considering whether to authorize wildlife service agencies to destroy eggs and use lethal means against the birds, including shooting them with firearms, capturing and killing them through "cervical dislocation" or placing them in a sealed container with carbon dioxide. One of the methods for destroying eggs is to oil them, suffocating the embryos and preventing the nesting adults from laying new eggs, since they believe the oiled eggs are still viable. Separately, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last month a new rule establishing a permit for state and federal wildlife agencies to "undertake additional cormorant control activities … to protect human health and safety, personal property and threatened and endangered species." In a statement, Service Director Aurelia Skipwith said the permit will "help minimize human-wildlife conflicts while maintaining sustainable cormorant populations as required by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act." In addition to fishing concerns, the USDA report identified various other problems connected with cormorants. Their acidic feces harms trees and vegetation and their often large colonies compete with other birds for resources and pose a threat to aircrafts. Conservationists urge for alternatives Senner, of the National Audubon Society, said there are non-lethal ways for dealing with predation from cormorants or other birds, such as setting up wiring or netting over the fish hatcheries. "When you set the table for dinner, don't be surprised when someone shows up. And that's exactly what the cormorants are doing," Senner said. "It's unfortunate that we provide them these opportunities, and then when they come, what we want to do is shoot them. We don't think that's a constructive, long-term solution to these problems." As far as the other concerns raised in the USDA report, Senner said that while cormorants may compete with other birds in a specific area, such as an island, those population declines would be localized and are not present on a regional scale. Miller said climate change and threats to the environment are much greater threats to other bird populations than cormorants. Similarly, preserving coastal wetlands and river mouths where fish reproduce would be a better way to help the fish populations, Miller said. And from 1990 to 2017, only four aircraft strikes involved double-crested cormorants, and none of them were in Ohio, according to the USDA report. Potential consequences of decreasing cormorant population If Ohio's double-crested cormorant population declines, it's unclear what that would mean for biodiversity, since the birds aren't considered a "keystone species" on which ecosystems largely depend. But their absence could be significant. "Cormorants play a very useful role in the ecosystem," Senner said. "They eat a lot of what we call 'rough' fish, or invasive fish— carp, for example. A lot of the science points to the fact that their diet is actually focused on a lot of these species that are not desirable. While there are negatives that people see about cormorants, there are also positives. Losing cormorants in the region would lose one of the most effective predators on some of these rough fish." Miller said a decline in double-crested cormorants would constitute a loss for Ohio's birding community. "These birds are native here, they're super cool and impressive and beautiful," Miller said. "If you ever see them, they do some really unique things in how they dry their feathers in the sun, and their coloration changes as the sunlight changes on them… "Birding is the second-most popular outdoor activity, after gardening, and that's because birds inspire people, and so does biodiversity and nature," Miller said. "Losing cormorants to the Great Lakes region would be a blow to them." ___ (c)2021 The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Visit The Plain Dealer, Cleveland at www.cleveland.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.