Cormorants

I was at Sturgeon lake this morning and happened to pass by Muskrat Island and there must have been a hundred cormorants perched in those dead branches. I don't remember seeing that many there before.
Well, they'd better get south for the winter pretty soon. The MNR has decided to open a fall hunting season for one species of cormorants in Ontario....I believe it's 15 birds per hunter PER DAY!!!

https://www.ofah.org/issues/cormorants/

It's interesting you mention that...

I was there on Thursday morning and a flock of about 100 birds flew past me. I was wondering where they came from, but after seeing a satellite pic of Muskrat Island and after reading your post there's no doubt in my mind that they call Muskrat Island home.

The numbers could stand to be thinned out some, just hoping that this was a science based approach instead of a knee jerk reaction that politicians do from time to time...

When I pulled up to Muskrat yesterday morning and looked at those dead trees, it looked like it was covered in black leaves there were so many of them. And they were self segregated from the gulls which were in a totally separate tree on the island!
But OFAH has been lobbying (supposedly for anglers) for the province to do something about the high number of cormorants. But my question is "what will they taste like"? I don't think I want to find out.

Now that they opend up the hunt for these I'm wondering if there will now be a plethora of stinking dead birds floating in our lakes. Dont think anyone will eat these but lots if people want to shoot them.
Every lake seems to have a dead island where these things kill off the trees.
Not to mention the smell,
I was on Couchiching this year and passed by the cormorant island there and the stench was incredible.