A report by the Ministry of Natural Resources says the cormorant and pelican populations on Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods have very little impact on sport fishing.
In a presentation to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee, MNR biologist Darren Elder explained why cormorants and pelicans–often blamed as the reason for a decline in walleye, sauger, and northern pike populations–are in the clear.
In a 1997 study on birds on Lake of the Woods, cormorants only accounted for two-three percent of the annual consumption of prey fish.
The report concluded prey fish tend to roam closer to the bottom in deep water–too deep for fish-eating birds to capture–while species such as yellow perch, shiners, and bullhead, which swim the shallower waters, are the main diet of the birds.
The report also noted those species of fish are in much greater abundance than the predatory fish sought by anglers.
The impact of the birds on sport fishing has been a hot topic in the past as even government agencies took measures to delay fish reproduction.
Now the MNR has noted the increasing bird population is a sign of a good ecosystem rather than an unbalanced one.
“Researchers agree that cormorants and pelicans play an important role in the ecosystem,” the report noted. “The increase in number of both birds are proof that steps taken to reduce toxic chemicals in the environment have been successful.
“As environmental problems have been addressed, the population of many wildlife species have increased to the point where natural controls now stabilize their numbers,” it added.
Gord Earle, president of the Rainy River Valley Field Naturalists and a member of the Natural Resources Advisory Committee, said the report should prompt a change of attitude towards the birds.
“We should not be too quick to point fingers at defenseless wildlife when they are perceived to compete with our own interests,” he argued.
“Given that cormorants and pelicans have now markedly recovered from the ravages of DDT usage, and reached a healthy breeding population, we should stop falsely maligning these fish-eating birds and embrace the fact that they indicate eco-system integrity achieved through the efforts of environmental legislation and conservation,” he stressed.
The 1997 study on the birds’ eating habits was carried out on Lake of the Woods, home to an estimated 12,000-15,000 cormorants.
A similar study was done along the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, where the birds migrate, and those results also revealed they fed on coarse fish such as shad, small minnows, and carp rather than the larger, predatory fish.
The Three Sister Islands on Lake of the Woods are the only known breeding sites in Ontario for the endangered white pelican, housing 6,000 nesting pairs in 1997.
Earle said there’s data indicating sport fish populations are on the rise and stressed the potential of these birds as a tourist attraction.
“We must learn to live in harmony with these majestic birds, if not for the economic opportunites they bring through ecotourism, then for nature’s sake,” he remarked.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
