Cormorants

I am writing to you about the current cormorant debate.

Clearly there is problem with excessive cormorant populations - they are deforesting shoreline forests at an alarming rate.

While I respect life for most living creatures, there is a problem here that needs to be dealt with.

There are five uninhabited islands in the Kingston area that have been affected by cormorants. These islands used to be covered by healthy forests of trees, including oaks estimated to be over 100 years old. Four of the five islands have been decimated by cormorants and they have recently moved onto the last remaining island. It takes cormorants only four years to decimate an island, then they move on to the next one. These islands were part of a valuable ecosystem that was the home to many other species. Now they are poisoned wastelands that will not regenerate for decades to come. With the cormorants having no natural predators I don't see any stop to the devastation until the cormorants either destroy their habitat or food supply.

The question I have for the naturalists such as Julie Woodyer is how would they address the problem?

I am concerned that many of the activists can't see the forest for the dead trees as they interfere with a solution to this problem.

Thank you.

Hub Steenbakkers
Proprietor
Collins Bay Marina
1270 Coverdale Drive
Kingston, ON K7M 8X7
(613) 389-4455 (888) 748-5557
www.collinsbaymarina.com
hub@collinsbaymarina.com