Cormorants:

[AndyS]

Chief Jeff Matthews, Bureau of Fish Production, commended the production staff of the hatcheries and bureaus involved with the trout program this year. The most complaints were about the cormorant issue.
Chief Lisa Barno, Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries, reported on Opening Day of Trout Season and distributed two charts, one of lakes/ponds the other of streams/rivers, with the results of opening day angler surveys taken comparing waterbodies, number of anglers and number of trout caught.Cormorants were once again reported to be prevalent on a number of waterbodies.

[youngdumbandfulloffish]

Wow! are those pictures in NJ? I've seen 1 or 2 at a body of water but 5+!!!!! That could destroy a stretch of river or a lake/pond. Not to encourage illegal behavior but can someone tell the bucket brigade they taste like chicken

[briansnat]

I've seen or two, but never large groups such as the ones in the photos.

[Eskimo]

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Cormorants are bad news. They really like Merrill Creek Reservoir.

I don't mind sharing the environment with other fish predators. I love seeing eagles, ospreys, and loons. The trouble with Cormorants is there are so damn many of them.

The Eskimos had a way of 'fishing' for birds like these. The would sharpen both ends of a piece of bone or antler to a sharp point and tie a string in the middle. Then they would insert the pin in a fish length-wise and release it. When the bird grabbed the fish and ate it, it would pull on the string, the pin would shift and lodge itself in the bird's gizzard. The bird would then be tethered by the string.







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[buzzbaiter]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

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Cormorants are bad news. They really like Merrill Creek Reservoir.

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yup. they are all over the timber sections. i would say dozens of them.

[baetis]

I'm concerned that trout stocking some of the small ponds attracts the bird which in turn decimates not only the temporary trout, but also the bass and year-round fish.

[Jigman13]

Anyone ever fish Milton lake recently? Dozens of them on the dam and exposed timber. It's crazy.

The population of them down at Carnegie was growing too.

Buckshot anyone? Lol