Double-crested Cormorants and Free-Swimming Fish Regional Information-Gathering Meetings

In May 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia remanded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) 2014 Environmental Assessment (EA) supporting the Aquaculture and Public Resource Depredation Orders for double-crested cormorant (DCCO) Management. Through this ruling, the Court vacated both depredation orders until the Service prepared an adequate EA or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Court also ruled that the Service did not update its previous analysis and did not take a “hard look” at the effect of the depredation orders on cormorants and other affected resources (i.e., fish populations) or examine other alternatives.