C M Y K + +

THE BLADE, TOLEDO, OHIO ■ S U N D A Y , JANUARY 29, 2006 S E C T I O N B , P A G E 6

The birds destroy habitat and may deplete fisheries

The problem with Lake Erie’s

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OHIO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE, U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE/RON HUFFMAN, Cormorants BLACK SWAMP BIRD OBSERVATORY, AND TIM DANIEL Cormorants consume large quantities Outdoors Page by Steve Pollick and Jeff Basting of whatever fish are most available.

“Double-crested cormorant” Crane Creek Wildlife Research Sta- is either a large, dark, fish-eating tion in Ottawa County, Mr. Shield- ■ Ohio has five cormorant colonies: West Sister waterbird or, figuratively, a four- castle is one of the chief architects Island, Green Island, and Turning Point Island, all letter word. of a proposed federal-state plan in western Lake Erie; Mercer Wildlife Area in To many sport fishermen across to control cormorant numbers. the Great Lakes and around the State and federal wildlife man- Mercer County, and Portage Lakes State Park country, it is the latter. It also may agers have been carefully assembling near Akron. CYAN be the latter to government con- a management plan under a broad ■ Cormorants have a negative impact on vegeta- servationists struggling to save 2003 depredation order by the U.S. tion both chemically (guano) and physically (strip- fragile, cormorant-endangered Fish & Wildlife Service. Careful ping leaves and breaking branches). habitat on western Lake Erie islands. steps are necessary because the ■ Until 1991, nesting cormorants were absent It would be great if the cor- cormorant is protected by the fed- from Lake Erie for nearly a century because of morant story of recovery could be eral Migratory Bird Treaty Act. pollution. a mythical phoenix-rising-from- Recently an environmental ■ the-ashes tale. After all, the cor- assessment was released for pub- Recent studies by Cornell University on Lake morant had not nested on Lake lic comment offering five options Oneida in New York showed a 58 percent survival Erie for nearly a century and was the for managing cormorants in Ohio. of juvenile walleye and yellow perch with losses

victim of chemical pollution which [There are two smaller popula- linked to cormorant predation. MAGENTA interefered with its reproduction. tions besides Lake Erie — five pairs As recently as 1990 there were at the Portage Lakes near Akron Two state endan- no nesting pairs of cormorants on and about 80 pairs at the Mercer Lake Erie’s West Sister Island Nation- State Wildlife Area in Mercer Coun- gered species al Wildlife Refuge, Ohio’s only fed- ty on Grand Lake St. Marys.] (snowy egret and eral wilderness and part of the The management alternatives cattle egret), one Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge range from doing nothing to the pre- state threatened - Complex. ferred alternative. The latter pro- species (black-

The 82-acre island, nine miles poses an intergrated approach that crowned night YELLOW off Jerusalem Township, harbors includes, when and where appro- heron), and one the most important colonial wad- priate, physical exclusion, habitat ing-bird rookeries on modification or species of special the Great Lakes. It is harassment, and Snowy egret concern (great home to hundreds of culling of cor- egret) are found on great blue herons, morants by shoot- West Sister Island black-crowned night ing, egg oiling or and Turning Point herons, and great destruction, nest Island. Their egrets. destruction, or nesting areas are BLACK In 1992, when 186 euthanasia. threatened by pairs of cormorants The measures cormorants. showed up at West Cormorants appear sound drastic, Mr. Sister, it was thought Shieldcastle notes. a victory in the bat- loon-like on the water. “[But]it is irrespon- The draft environ- tle against pollution. sible to do nothing.” mental assessment But the rising phoenix turned Some 500 birds were culled on cormorants can into a winged dragon. Their num- under a scientific collecting permit Great blue heron be viewed at the bers just didn’t stop multiplying. By in 2005, 250 each from West Sister federal Web site, 2000 there were 2,200 pairs and and Green islands. West Sister last year 3,813. Green Island, a 17- ended with a net gain of two nests www.fws.gov/mid- acre state wildlife refuge just off over 2004, and not a dent was made west/MidwestBird/ South Bass Island, had no pairs in at Green Island. cormorants.htm. 2003 and an unbelieveable 857 If the terrestrial damage on For a copy from the pairs in 2005. The tiny Turning fragile islands were not enough, U.S. Department of Point Island in Sandusky harbor cormorants also have decimated Agriculture, Animal has another 409 pairs. fisheries in some bays and corners and Plant Health Two state endangered species of the Great Lakes and beyond, Inspection Services, [snowy egret and cattle egret], a and gutted southern fish farms. state threatened species [black- “Obviously they are fish-eat- Reynoldsburg, crowned night heron], and a species ing birds and their potential for Black-crowned night Ohio, call 614-861- of special concern [great egret] impacting local stocks of such pre- heron 6087. also are found on West Sister and ferred species as yellow perch, wall- Turning Point. Besides displace- eye, and smallmouth bass is there, West Sister Island Waterbird Colonies ment of other species, cormorants even though we cannot demon- 4,500 Double-crested cor- are chemically burning up the tree strate it with our fisheries surveys,” Great blue heron canopy with their potent drop- summed up Jeff Tyson, supervisor 4,000 Great egret morants are about 32 pings, or guano, and they physically of Lake Erie fisheries research for the 3,500 Black-crowned night herons inches long with 52-inch are stripping trees and breaking Ohio Division of Wildlife. 3,000 Double-crested cormorant wingspans. They can dive branches as well. So far — and more studies are 2,500 to 25 to 30 feet, propel Threats from nesting cor- scheduled — it appears that cor- 2,000 themselves with webbed morants are compounded by those morants are pure opportunists 1,500 feet as fast as the fish they of 25,000 to 100,000 migrating cor- when it comes to appetitite. They Estimated # nests morants that congregate in Erie’s eat what is most available, usually 1,000 pursue, and hold their 500 breath for a minute or western basin between August and gizzard shad and emerald shiners, October from around the Great both forage fish, in Lake Erie. But 0 more. They have a distinc- ’91 ’92 ’93 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 Lakes and perhaps even the Prairies. sport fishermen — whose preferred SOURCE: Ottawa National Widlife Refuge tive turquoise color eye “You look at the vegetation catches already are challenged by and yellow-orange bill but damage out there,” said Doug Brew- the impacts of zebra mussels, round otherwise are a drab bird. er, manager of the Ottawa refuge gobies, and plain unfavorable years complex, about West Sister. “We of reproduction because of bad need to take some action before weather — generally have noth- West Sister looks like Middle Island. ing nice to say about cormorants. We have a wilderness to conserve.” They generally blame the birds for Middle Island, on the Ontario poor fishing. side of the international border Mr. Tyson said that a federal north of Ohio’s Kelleys Island, has finding on the environmental assess- been all but denuded by the cor- ment is expected in March and morant explosion. It is virtually that will determine which alter- mobbed by 6,000 pairs. East Sister native may be used. “It’s a situation Island, also in Canadian waters, of trying to keep the species in bal- has been hit nearly as badly. ance with everything else,” added Cormorants nests in partially denuded “It would be a crying shame to Mr. Shieldcastle. turn that island into a rock,” said trees. Mark Shieldcastle about Green Contact Steve Pollick at: [email protected] Island. Project leader at the state’s or 419-724-6068. Little Chick Island Big Chick Island Pelee WestWest SisterSister Island IslandIsland

North Bass A section of West Sister Island on June 17, 2002 Island West SisterCrane Island reef 3,813 pairs Sugar Island Middle Bass of cormorants Rattlesnake Island Island South Bass Ballast Island GreenGreen Island Lake Erie IslandIsland Starve Island Green Island 857 pairs Kelleys Davis Besse of cormorants Island Catawba Island Turning Point Island The map shows the 409 pairs 3 nesting colonies of cormorants Port Clinton of cormorants on TurningTurning P Pointoint Ohio’s portion of Cedar Point IslandIsland western Lake Erie.

The same section of the island on July 28, 2005 after the Sandusky Sandusky Large populations of cor- Bay invasion of cormorants. morants ruin foilage.

+ +

Cyan Magenta Yellow Black 012906_RP5_SUN__B6 1 1/27/2006, 9:11:41 PM