U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Special Agents, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Officers, and Officers from Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, launched an immediate investigation into the incident and estimate that more than 500 nesting birds have been killed. This represents approximately half of the breeding population on the island.
A criminal investigation is currently underway with agents collecting and examining evidence. Preliminary findings indicate birds have been shot at their nesting sites, many while incubating eggs or brooding young. Dead birds littered the small, 5.4-acre which is part of Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Agents reported many of the birds appeared to be killed while actually sitting on their nests, while others were found dead on the ground.
It is reasonable to assume that additional birds were wounded and died outside the immediate area. Additionally, young cormorants are generally unable to care for themselves until sometime in August, and it is thought that mortality resulting from orphaned young was extensive.
Double-crested cormorants were common in the Great Lakes during the 1950s, however, their numbers were devastated by the effects of toxic chemicals in the 1960s. A mere 125 nesting pairs remained in the Great Lakes by the end of 1973. In recent years cormorant populations have increased dramatically due to bans on toxic pesticides such as DDT, Federal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (as of 1972), and abundant food resources.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is the federal agency with primary management responsibility over all migratory birds in the United States, including cormorants. Without a permit, killing of cormorants, or any migratory bird, is subject to penalties of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act a $5,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment. The Act protects migratory birds from being hunted, captured or killed. It also protects nests and eggs. In most states, including Michigan, state laws also protect cormorants.
This recent slaughter on the National Wildlife Refuges nesting colony serves only to interfere with ongoing efforts to assess and remedy management concerns with cormorant populations. As part of this assessment process, the Service is currently developing a comprehensive cormorant management plan which will address biological issues and impacts associated with cormorant populations. Individuals taking action outside the law cause harm not only to cormorants, but to other species that nest with them. In the case of Little Charity Island, this includes herons, egrets, gulls, and terns. These species prefer islands for nesting because such sites are less susceptible to disturbance by predators and people than mainland sites.
Anyone having information concerning this incident is asked to immediately call:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Law Enforcement Office in Bay City, MI at (517) 686-4578
or
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Report All Poaching Hotline
(800) 292-7800.
Monetary rewards for information leading to the identification and apprehension of any individual associated with these illegal acts have been established.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 520 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information about programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our website at http://midwest.fws.gov
