How much does a cormorant eat?

[Rob LaMoy]

OK, many of you have heard me complain about cormorants, and those who fish Champlain, Ontario, Erie, or ANY lakes in the northeast know what a nuisance they are. Well, in traditional NYDEC format, our state has conducted studies, and have determined too little too late that....YUP we have us a BIG problem. Now, they will likely take another 5-10 years (during which populations will be decimated) to determine just HOW to handle the problem it took them this long to discover. Anyhow, check out this link. Bottom line is this, cormorants eat millions upon millions of fish every year, thousands of tons and a noteable percentage is smallies! They are definately having a very negative impact and if something is not done soon, we will all have to become lake trout anglers!
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/cormorant/corm99.pdf

 

[Bill McElroy]

I've heard that they eat their weight every day in fish..but I don't know for sure...we have a lot of'em here though,...seems we have more around Erie/St.clair than I see up around Saginaw Bay and further north...I'm sure they're just as populated everywhere around MI. but I just seem to notice bigger concentrations of them down here.

Mac

 

[Staci Matheis]

Although I'm sure that most don't eat near their weight every day in anything..... I've heard that those pesky humans consume millions of tons of fish of every speices each year.....



.....and I see them EVERYWHERE!!



:^)

me!

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Worst part about it is they've started moving to the smaller lakes because their no longer getting enough to eat on the big lakes. Let's see, I think it was last year DEC proposed a hunting season on them, but to late to pass it through the N.Y. idiots. Whoops I mean NY Legislators. Lets see at the current rate they approve budgets, "it should take them until every fish is eaten out of our lakes till they vote". Sounds about right to me.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I don't know how much they eat but I can tell you first hand it has to be a lot judging from how much they crap. I have NEVER seen a bird drop bombs like cormorants. That tells me that they eat A lot. Foul, foul birds.



TOXIC

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

Yeah Toxic I think those water turkeys even put you to shame. You got to watch them ,they seem to wait until a boat's in range before they unload so to speak

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

All ya gotta do is pass close to a tree or rock that they use as a roost and it is disgusting!! When they take off they emit a stream of crap that is what I call bird napalm. Thankfully, I have never sustained a direct hit. I just think of what they do to the water. Yuck...I have almost hit them with the boat because they are so full of crap it takes them a long while to get airbourne. Foul, foul birds. Oh yeah, they are much worse than me!!



TOXIC

 

[Michael Snow]

WE get yours during the winter months. I've heard a pound of fish per day on eating. In any case, they don't digest the fish very well, leading to blue cats hanging out below the roosts looking for some freebies. There is a local guide here that has half of the guys on a TX message board "fishing the birds", which literally means going to where these birds are roosting (dead trees that are still in the water), and fish below them (they leave as soon as they get spooked, so you never truly fish below them).



Aside from the catfish guys, we don't want them. Interesting thing is how seagulls are loved/hated by striper fishermen. They eat all the baitfish, but these same people LOOK for the gulls diving to know where the stripers are pushing the baitfish to the surface.



It's all a love/hate thing.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Read the link guys. I thought it was their weight in fish a day too. It's actually closer to Mike's post. .5 to 1 lb a day per bird. But with over 2,300 birds in the test colonie on Ontario, just 3 islands, those birds ate anywhere from 600,000 to 2 MILLION smallmouth!!!!! And that's not counting the indirect impact on the bass fishery with the massive tonnage of alewifes and perch they eat which are up to 35% of their diet whereas bass are 1.7% to 5.1%. So even at the higher number of 5.1%, and 2 million bass, just imagine what will happen when the population continues to increase, then they eventually wipe out the perch and alewifes and are forced to turn on smallies exclusively. Then you will see a complete desimation of smallies throughout the northeast. Time to do something folks! Be sure you voice is heard, because this is something that DOES affect you. Imagine a day fishing and catching NOTHING! I know for Scott and Trep, that's not hard, but Mini, Mac, Tox, Andy, Bob, Buzz, Pierre, the rest of us up north. Imagine it, we'd have to take up golfing and jetskiing because the bass would be gone. Let you congressmen and senators know you are watching closely!

 

[Bill McElroy]

Rob,...smallies, perch alwives, and cormorants have ALL been around for millions of years,.....we've got more and better fisheries than we've EVER had......I'd be willing to bet more fish fry are eaten every day by OTHER fish than by all cormorants combined!!! Relax...it's the circle of life,....it's not wise to fool with mother nature! LOL IMO

Mac

 

[Rob LaMoy]

But we have, that's the number of cormorants is increasing. It's a complicated issue, no question, but there is a negative impact. Look at snow geese for instance. Their population is 10X what it was 50 years ago, now they are completely destroying their arctic nesting grounds. The numbers are so high that they are doing serious damage to local farmer's lands here locally. Something needs to be done or they will force themselves into extinction. We don't want that either, but we do need to "thin the herd". I feel the same way about cormorants. But I will go have a cigarette and a coffee and relax! LOL

 

[Michael Snow]

The issue here (in TX at least) is that cormorants are PROTECTED. You can't kill 'em. Now, this is only going from what others have said down here, so I take it as gospel. It could be wrong. I swear these are the same birds that a co-worker in California called "mud ducks" and told me that they're decent table fare. I don't hunt, but the way he explained cleaning them is to put your foot on the back and pull on the wings. The wings come off with the breast attached. The rest of the bird is too fatty or something. Again, I don't hunt, and have never actually seen this here "cleaning" method, but just going from what I remember.



Anyone know if these are the same as "mud ducks"?

 

[Rob LaMoy]

They are protected here too. No idea on the mud duck thing. For cleaning fowl, you step on the wings and pull the feet. It pulls all the nasty stuff out leaving you the breast, back meat and you can use the legs if you choose. On grouse or pheasant, there is not enough meat on the legs to bother. You couldn't pay me to eat cormorant....well maybe if you paid me a LOT! LOL

 

[Staci Matheis]

Man, Rob! I like that "thinning the herd" idea!



Let's start with the water fleas..... Then those creatures with woofers in their cars that are so loud that you can hear them three lanes away on the highway..... And then, let's make Rich happy! Do away with members of PETA! And vegitarians while we're at it 'cuz they're practically the same thing.....



Anyone ever see the "Christmas Pagent" episode of "South Park"?



me!

 

[Thomas Macaluso]

Mike I'm not sure about out on west coast but around here we refer to coots as mud ducks . I havn't gone duck hunting in years.However the best way to cook a Mud Duck is to slow cook it in a crockpot ,drain the water,throw away the duck and eat the pot .

 

[gone bye bye]

Cormorants are FEDERALLY protected birds. Population was almost extinct until they became protected. Now the population is booming in areas that they werent in before. We cannot kill them, but I think after reading it in BASSTimes, that there is legislation to allow "oiling" of eggs to stop the reproduction.



A few years back a couple of folks were shooting them at the Charity Islands in Saginaw Bay. The culprits were never found, although they did manage to kill 5,000 birds. The islands vegitation still has not rebounded from the fecal poisoning from the birds.



Beaver Iland in LNorther Lake Michigan is another one that is suffering badly due to the cormorants. This is smallmouth spawning heaven (season doesnt open until July 4th there) and the birds know it. They are there for the spawn every year. ALOT of local arrests being made for shooting cormorants. Heck the locals call it cormorant island now its so bad.



Write your congressmen and do some research on the net to find out if the oiling is happening.



Mini

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Oiling is what they been doing on oone of the Little Galloe Island on lake Ontario. They're expanding it out to other areas where the birds have begun nesting and causing a problem along the ST. Lawrence River.

 

[gone bye bye]

conch....please register and visit often....your input could be invaluable to spread the word...



Please also respond with a website for this organization. I know I could get ALOT more members from this area, thus increasing the exposure AND strength from numbers.



Mini

 

[gone bye bye]

after searching....




http://www.fishinghotpage.com/cormo5.htm

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Same here. The problem I have is that most guides and anglers here are only content to complain. Organize? Do something? That would take effort. LOL I will do all that I can. If it weren't for fear of losing my licenses, I would have gone out and killed a couple hundred myself a LONG time ago.