Congressman Tim Walberg has introduced legislation to better manage the double-crested cormorant population.
Walberg says the large birds have posed challenges for fisheries and wildlife populations when their numbers become overabundant, and that’s just what’s been happening lately.
“The resurgence in the population of double-crested cormorants in the Midwest has reached historic levels, according to some estimates and what I’ve seen in the duck blind, as well as on a fishing boat going for walleye and perch, resulting in unprecedented levels of damage done to our fisheries and the recreational opportunities we cherish in the Great Lakes,” Walberg said.
Walberg says this isn’t just a Michigan issue.
“Cormorant populations in some parts of the country are exploding with their populations doubling every four years. This is a conservation problem. It’s a stewardship problem. It’s a humane issue.”
Walberg’s Responsible Cormorant Management and Control Act would establish a framework seeking to ensure population management is effective and sustainable. He says it would require Secretary of the Interior to develop a regional plan.
Walberg’s bill was introduced to the House Natural Resources Committee this week.
