В онтарийском Кардинале успешно контролируют популяцию чаек, тогда как в США это запрещено федеральным законом

Ontario township’s cormorant control offers contrast to US restrictions CARDINAL, Ontario (WWNY) - Cormorants have overtaken shoreline communities on both sides of the border, but the birds cannot be killed in the United States because of federal law. Across the border in Cardinal, Ontario, laws are different, and so are the results. Cormorants once overwhelmed the shoreline Ten years ago, the shoreline in Cardinal, across the river from Lisbon, looked different than it does today. “At one time there were thousands, thousands and thousands of them. You couldn’t go fifty feet without a cormorant,” said John Courtney, cormorant control officer for Edwardsburgh Cardinal Township. The bird’s appetite for fish and its acidic droppings had taken over the area. “We were hearing from the fishermen and fishing industry that they were noticing declines in the stocks. They had not only killed trees but they had made the ground underneath the trees uninhabitable,” said Tory Deschamps, mayor of Edwardsburgh Cardinal Township. Township hired control officer under provincial law The township hired a cormorant control officer, as Ontario law allows nuisance animals to be controlled. Courtney began shooting the birds, and they quickly got the message. “I usually come out a couple times a week and just chase them around. A lot of times it’s just a chase,” Courtney said. The trees where cormorants roosted were removed. Results came quickly and grew after the province established a cormorant hunting season. “There’s birds, but there’s not very many and we don’t have any roost trees that I’m aware of,” Deschamps said. Fishing has recovered in the area. Nearby townships have not followed suit A couple of kilometers downriver, cormorants have found where they are safe and where they are not, as neighboring townships have not joined the control effort. “It’s the difference between a kilometer where you’re not doing control and you can see it instantly,” Deschamps said. US federal law limits similar action The township’s approach could not be replicated on the U.S. side under federal laws that protect cormorants. Deschamps offered this advice for those dealing with the issue in the U.S.: “Talk to your lawmakers.” Copyright 2026 WWNY. All rights reserved.