State and federal natural resource agencies are seeking public comments on an environmental assessment (EA) that lays out a plan to manage damage and conflicts caused by double-crested cormorants in Wisconsin.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Wildlife Services, the Interior Department's Fish and Wildlife Service and its Horicon, Green Bay, and Gravel Islands National Wildlife Refuges, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have drafted a plan to reduce double-crested cormorant damage and conflicts in Wisconsin. Wildlife Services is the lead agency for the EA; the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are cooperating agencies.
The EA proposes an Integrated Wildlife Damage Management approach to reduce cormorant damage to property, aquaculture and natural resources, and cormorant-related risks to public safety. Cormorant damage management could be conducted anywhere in Wisconsin, but the plan emphasizes the Green Bay and Lake Winnebago areas where concerns about cormorant impacts on fish, vegetation and co-nesting waterbirds like black-crowned night-herons and great egrets are greatest.
Under the proposed alternative, physical exclusion, habitat modification or harassment would be used to reduce double-crested cormorant damage when appropriate. In other situations, cormorant populations might be managed by shooting, egg oiling or destruction, nest destruction, or euthanasia following live capture.
Other management approaches considered include an alternative limiting federal agencies to only using non-lethal methods, an option limiting federal involvement to technical advice, and an approach with no federal involvement in cormorant damage management.
Double-crested cormorants are large, fish-eating birds that nest in colonies and roost together in large numbers. A reduction in eggshell-thinning pesticides (primarily DDT), increased protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and abundant food resources on their breeding and wintering grounds have greatly increased cormorant numbers and distribution in the last 30 years. The current double-crested cormorant population in North America is estimated at two million birds, nearly 70 percent of which are in the interior population, which includes Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin cormorant population was state-listed as endangered in 1972, but increased to 2,213 nesting pairs in 1985. Delisted in 1986, nesting pair numbers increased to 10,546 in 1997 and 14,882 in 2005. More than 80 percent of the nesting pairs in Wisconsin are in the Lower Green Bay and Door County areas. Substantial numbers of cormorants migrating through Wisconsin in spring and fall also can contribute to damage and conflicts.
Under the proposed alternative, and several other alternatives being considered, efforts would be made to reduce the number of nesting cormorants in the Green Bay area. The initial proposal is to primarily use egg-oiling for several years to gradually reduce the number of nesting cormorants in the Green Bay area from 14,970 pairs in 2007 to 6,000 nesting pairs. A combination of methods would be used to prevent cormorants from colonizing new sites in the Green Bay area with sensitive plant species or tree-nesting herons and egrets.
In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued regulations allowing more flexibility in the management of double-crested cormorants where they are causing damage to aquaculture stock and public resources such as fisheries, vegetation and other birds. Agencies implementing the new regulations must have landowner permission, may not adversely affect other migratory birds or threatened or endangered species, and must satisfy annual reporting and evaluation requirements. The Fish and Wildlife Service will ensure the long-term sustainability of cormorant populations through oversight of activities and regular population monitoring.
Copies of the EA on double-crested cormorant damage management may be downloaded from the Fish and Wildlife Service's web site at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/MidwestBird/cormorants.htm or the USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nepa.shtml. Hard copies may be obtained by contacting USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services, 732 Lois Dr., Sun Prairie, WI 53590, (608) 837-2727, FAX (608) 837-6754.
Written comments on the EA will be accepted through September 25, 2008. Written comments should be submitted to the above address for USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services. When faxing a comment, a copy should also be mailed to ensure that a complete version of the text is received.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws/gov
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