I was asked to forward this to the listserve from Dave Sherman, who is a
biologist with Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station.
I just wanted to clarify the actions of the Division of Wildlife before
the facts are distorted. In response to persistent conflicts and
complaints relating to double crested cormorants (DCCOs), in 2003 the
United States Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) completed a
final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the management of DCCOs
in the United States
(http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/issues/cormorant/finaleis/CormorantFE
IS.pdf). The selected management alternative included the establishment
of a Public Resources Depredation Order (PRDO) to address conflicts
regarding DCCO impacts on public resources.
The PRDO was created "to reduce the actual occurrence, and/or minimize
the risk, of adverse impacts of DCCOs to public resources. Public
resources include wildlife and their habitats, plants, and fish (both
free-swimming fish and stock at Federal, State, and tribal hatcheries
that are intended for release in public waters). Ohio is one of 24
states authorized to manage DCCOs under the PRDO.
In January 2006, WS in cooperation with the USFWS, and the Ohio Division
of Wildlife published in the Federal Register, an environmental
assessment (EA) entitled "Reducing double-crested cormorant damage in
Ohio." The document examines various alternatives for preserving the
critical colonial waterbird habitat on the Lake Erie Islands. The EA
selected an integrated cormorant damage management plan that includes
lethal control of adult cormorants as the best method of saving the
island waterbird habitat, and we asked for public comments at that time.
We addressed all of the comments, published the final draft of the EA,
and have proceeded with cormorant management during the past 3 years.
Harassment of cormorants on the islands was attempted as part of the
integrated management approach, but was unsuccessful. Please go to this
site: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/MidwestBird/cormorants.htm to download
the EA.
For West Sister Island (WSI), the USFWS was involved with the decision
to proceed with actions under the PRDO and has given consent as the land
owner of WSI to control cormorant numbers based on observed and
quantified habitat destruction on the island. In addition, the USFWS
has a population goal (1500-2000 nesting pairs) for WSI which has been
reached and the agencies are striving to maintain.
Any time a management decision is made (including the decision to do
nothing), the decision will be beneficial to some species and
detrimental to others. As Rob Thorn mentioned in his post, resource
management agencies make these decisions every day - cowbirds are killed
to benefit Kirtland's warblers, old growth forests are preserved to
benefit the spotted owl, etc. Way back when, these decisions did not
need to be made because there was enough habitat to go around for
everyone; however, in these modern times, habitat, especially for
colonial waterbirds, is extremely scarce.
Herons and egrets prefer to nest on the Lake Erie islands despite the
energetic costs associated with doing so. An 18-mile round trip from
the mainland to WSI several times a day to feed young expends a lot of
energy. If suitable habitat existed on the mainland, I would expect the
waders to use that habitat. If the cormorants were left unchecked, the
Division is convinced that the cormorants would defoliate the islands
(as they have partially done on Middle Island in Canada) and possibly
extirpate great egrets, snowy egrets, and black-crowned night herons
from the state of Ohio. The Lake Erie Islands remain the only long-term
colony sites for these three species in Ohio, and WSI currently hosts
one of the largest remaining colonies of herons and egrets in the U.S.
portion of the Great Lakes.
The decision to manage cormorants was not taken lightly, and the three
agencies annually review management efforts and determine what actions,
if any, need to be taken the next year. It is especially important to
remember that the agencies' plan for DCCO management in Ohio recognizes
DCCOs as a valuable member of the colonial waterbird community. Thus,
the plan focuses on sustaining DCCO populations at a level which retains
their viability as an Ohio breeding bird while also protecting against
the degradation of rare island habitat upon which so many other species
of wildlife depend.
Mary L. Warren
Wildlife Communications Specialist
Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
13229 W. State Route 2
Oak Harbor, OH 43449
419-898-0960 #31
FAX: 419-898-4017
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