The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for shooting and killing a large number of double-crested cormorants on the outlying islands in Lake Michigan, south of the Garden Peninsula, Delta County, Mich. The killings occurred in early July 2006.
Double-crested cormorants are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Each violation of the Act can be punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, jail up to six months, or both. In addition, any equipment used to commit the illegal act can be seized.
Anyone with information about this crime should contact Special Agent James Fuller of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bay City, Mich., Law Enforcement Office at 989-686-4578.
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 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 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 and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
