Residents along the shores of Lake Ontario and inland lakes across the region are noticing far more cormorants nesting on waterfronts and docks during the summer. Researchers are conducting a survey to study the whereabouts of the federally protected large bird.
The catalyst for the survey was a town supervisor in Wayne County who was inundated with calls from frustrated residents and visitors.
“Residents were just seeing a huge recent increase in cormorants and their impacts,” said Stacy Furgal, a Great Lakes fisheries and ecosystem health specialist with New York Sea Grant. But the concern goes beyond Wayne County.
“We've been hearing from people along the St. Lawrence River, Western New York, Oneida Lake, Finger Lakes," she said.
The migratory birds nest and breed in New York from spring to fall, Furgal said, and leave devastation behind when they begin heading south around this time of year.
“Their excrement is quite damaging, so it can cause loss of habitat and kill the vegetation," she said. "You'll see a lot of dead trees and damaged habitat along fishing piers, and docks and marinas are also noticing bad smells.”
The cormorants scarf up plenty of fish, and Furgal said anglers are noticing stocked fish disappearing from lakes and streams.
But there’s little the public can do to control the birds since they’re protected by federal and state laws. That stems from decades ago when the cormorant population was almost decimated by DDT, a powerful insecticide used from the 1940s until the early '70s before it was banned. Private property owners, however, can apply for a permit to harvest a limited number of birds.
Furgal said the government can and has intervened when fish populations are threatened.
“They implemented control efforts that included like oiling the eggs so their population wasn't growing in size," she said. "During some of those fish stocking events, there are hazing efforts. The state DEC or USDA will be out just kind of scaring the birds away basically to protect the fish.”
Furgal said they’re especially interested in hearing from residents observing cormorants in their area for the first time. She said including information about how many, their activities, and impact on the natural and manmade environment is helpful, as well as photos.
