Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Posted on 05/27/2005 7:49:17 AM PDT by Pharmboy
Chris Anderson is only half-joking when he offers a solution for the hungry cormorants that are eating the fish in Leech Lake — and taking money out of his pocket. "Kill them all," he says of the voracious, predatory birds.
At Anderson's Cove, Anderson's resort on the western edge of the lake, just three of 11 cabins were rented for this month's walleye opener, after six years of strong opening weekends. Over the next month alone, Anderson figures he'll lose $40,000 or more through mid-June because of cabins standing empty.
Word has spread that walleye fishing on Leech Lake, one of the state's premier lakes, isn't what it used to be. That means fewer people will be staying at its resorts or visiting this lakeside town where livelihoods are tied to the elusive and tasty catch, prized above all in a state where fishing is king.
"People need fish, plain and simple," said Larry Jacobson, owner of Hiawatha Beach Resort. "They need walleye."
Prodded by resort owners and fishing guides, wildlife officials have reached a dramatic decision: Over the summer, they will kill 4,000 or more of the diving birds.
Shauna Hanisch, who leads the Fish and Wildlife Service's cormorant project, acknowledges shooting the birds is the most drastic measure being taken to curb the populations in the United States. Other states, such as Michigan, New York and Vermont, are also dealing with burgeoning cormorant colonies, Hanisch said.
Some wildlife biologists and animal-rights groups oppose the plan, saying research about the bird and its eating habits is incomplete.
Although cormorants were nearly wiped out by the pesticide DDT in the 1960s and 1970s, the waterfowl has made enough of a comeback to pose a threat to commercial fishing and fish farming.
The large hook-billed birds are considered voracious fish-eaters, and they are prevalent throughout North America, with the highest concentrations in the Great Lakes area.
Anderson has heard several theories about the walleye's low numbers: poor water quality or development along the 110,000-acre lake. He dismisses them with a wave of his hand.
"It's the cormorants," Anderson said. "You should see it when 600 of them fly in here. The sky is black."
Last year, an estimated 10,000 cormorants were living on Leech Lake. Seven years ago, the lake had about 150. So far, about 2,200 of the birds have been shot and killed.
"I don't like doing it," said Harlan Fierstine, the area fisheries supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "But we think there is enough science to justify this. It's about finding a balance between preservation and management. That's not easy."
Though cormorants are protected by an international migratory bird treaty, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service determined two years ago states could curb their numbers if they were harming natural resources.
Wildlife officials and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, which owns the island where the birds nest, did an environmental assessment, then agreed to shoot the cormorants. Some of the eggs also may be oiled to prevent them from hatching.
Francesca Cuthbert, a University of Minnesota professor, said the action on Leech Lake was "being made without good science." She said a comprehensive study of the birds' effect on the walleye was pushed aside in favor of the culling.
On a recent trip out to Little Pelican Island with reporters, Steve Mortensen, a fish and wildlife biologist for the Leech Lake band, said he regrets the bird's fate.
"It's a human thing. We are dealing with who is going to get the walleye," he said with a shrug. "That's the bottom line."
In downtown Walker, where people filed into The Outdoorsman Cafe, residents have felt the drop in tourism. A local business association found that reservations at Leech Lake resorts in May were down 90 percent from last year.
Randy Ehlenfeldt, owner of the True Value hardware store, hasn't sold as many fishing lures, water toys and air mattresses as in recent years.
"The walleye issue is a big part of it," he said. "Everyone feels it, from the restaurants to the gift shops."
___
On the Net:
Leech Lake: http://www.leechlake.org/
Fish & Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov/
Tastes just like chicken! }:^)
Considering their diet, I guess they would taste much like seagulls and terns. Haven't tasted them myself, but then again, don't know anyone who has.
Quietly pull in at night where folk are complaining about geese, cormorants ( means "sea crow"), noisy neighbors, whatever, doesn't matter to me, meat is meat. If God didn't want us to eat them, he shouldn't have made them out of meat.
Luv,
Farmer Vincent
Yep to all you've said. Here in northern NJ, the wild turkeys have not only multiplied quickly, but have become aggressive. A few weeks ago they attacked people in a parking lot,
I have a friend name Jim W. who says they taste rreaaal good too.
Hopefully we can get to kill a few #@$#@%%! Canadian Geese that keep #$@%@! Crapping all over my car. The things are a freaking nuisance, and hardly endangered. Jeez, you can't throw a rock without hitting one of the $#@%@! things around here.
I am sure the turkeys taste better...LOL!
Most countries employ DDT in the manner that it is most effective, indoor spraying. DDT is long-lived in the environment and therefore produces resistance in mosquito populations, so outdoor large-area spraying is not an effective use of DDT.
" The flesh of this species is dark, tough, and fishy, its eggs also do not furnish agreeable food, and it is seldom that either are eaten, even by epicures."
"Kill them all," he says of the voracious, predatory birds.
Speaking as a woman with a tummy full of Friday Night Fish Fry Walleye, I wholeheartedly agree; just don't make them wear panties on their heads. ;)
I see them roost in the tall willows here on Irondequoit Bay (next to Rochester, NY) by the thousands. Their droppings completely cover one of the sand banks.
..which begs the question, what do epicures taste like?
They are also the most likely to poop on your head as you walk under a tree. Not kidding. I was saying to a friend, "They've never pooped on...." when one of them let go. They are a pest in my neighborhood that the community can't get rid of. They sound like the birds from the movie "The Birds" and make messes all over.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Where's the cup holder?
I suppose you would like fine Corinthian Leather upholstery too, eh???
Regars
alfa6 ;>}
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