Management policies for cormorants in Canada

Cormorants are protected and managed under provincial, not federal, law in Canada. The recent resurgence of Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) numbers, particularly in central and eastern Canada, has led to pressures for control to which provinces have responded in different ways. In Manitoba, with the largest numbers, fishermen are illegally killing thousands of birds. Ontario protects cormorants and views them as indicators tors of chemical pollution in the Great Lakes. Quebec is regulating a cull of breeding birds to protect island habitat. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have hunting seasons. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland give kill permits to individual fishermen. The federal government does research on cormorants, particularly to understand the effects of toxic chemicals on them.