Lakon Williams jokingly describes double-crested cormorants as a “devil bird.”
As a sales office manager for the Bay Port Fish Company, she’s seen the birds swarm in “black tornadoes” and snatch up fish right out of nets.
She said the birds take more fish out of the lake than her commercial fishery, with a special affinity for yellow perch.
The numbers support her observations — cormorants consume approximately a pound of fish a day, and there are approximately 115,000 birds in Michigan waters, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
But the long-standing conflict between cormorants and fisheries might come to an end with a federally-approved lethal control permit for Michigan, meant to curtail the unfettered growth of the bird's population.
Randy Claramunt is the Lake Huron Basin Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He said it can be challenging to know when to dole out lethal wildlife management permits, but the cormorant control is an overdue initiative.
“It's important for both fisheries and wildlife concerns in the sense that we're basically going to hopefully be able to manage cormorant populations in balance with fishery needs, so the new permit system will allow us to do that,” Claramunt said.
In the 1970s, cormorant populations dwindled, and the bird nearly went extinct due to the use of pesticides like DDT. Now protected under federal migratory bird policies, cormorants were able to make an incredible comeback — that’s come with some drawbacks for wildlife and fisheries.
In addition to competing with fisheries and sportfishing industries, cormorants also nest on valuable habitats for other native bird species and can destroy trees and vegetation.
Claramunt said the birds’ federally protected status has made it difficult to approve management strategies to control their numbers.
Previously, Michigan used a cormorant public resource depredation order to control the population, but the order was halted in 2016 by a federal court following a lawsuit.
Since then, non-lethal strategies like harassment were used, but Claramunt said those strategies haven’t been enough to balance the cormorant population with the needs of fisheries or other wildlife.
Still, even with permits, Claramunt said lethal control measures are still a last resort, to be used only when other deterrents don't work.
“The challenge is: when do you need to be more active in your management actions? And what are the consequences of doing that?” Claramunt said. “Part of the new permit system is that there are requirements to look at like nonlethal actions and a more long-term strategy.”
With the new permit in place, Williams said she hopes the measures will make a difference in the lakes. She said she understands the delays in developing strategies due to federal approval, but agrees the permit has been a long time coming.
“It's been a long struggle,” Williams said. “I hope they continue to allow the permits and research (their impacts) to make sure we're not decimating the bird population or anything like that, but I think this control is something that needs to happen every year.”
Williams said she’s still unsure if Bay Port Fish Company will apply for a permit, but she can think of plenty of fishermen that would gladly get their hands on one.
“If they let companies apply for a permit, I could definitely see our crew wanting to help,” Williams said. “They see it firsthand out there when cormorants dive the net and try to get fish, so they're a real nuisance for us to do our job.”
The DNR application to the federal fish and wildlife service was approved in April to allow for the lethal take of 9,650 birds and 1,400 active nests annually. The permit is mainly for state and tribal agencies, but individuals can also apply for an individual depredation permit through the MDNR.
The Michigan United Conservation Clubs said in a statement that applicants need to bring documentation with a history of cormorant-fish conflict, a description of the area affected and a list of non-lethal measures currently in use to apply for a permit.
This story was produced as part of the Michigan News Group Internship. A collaboration between WCMU and eight community newspapers. Read this story in the July 30 edition of the Huron Daily Tribune.
