DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
Mr. Robert W. Runciman (Leeds–Grenville): I want to address a very serious problem threatening both the commercial and sports fisheries in the St. Lawrence and Thousand Islands region that the Minister of Natural Resources to date is ignoring.
The double-crested cormorant moved into the region a number of years ago in the wake of another invasive species, the zebra mussel. Cormorants are clear-water fishers, and the presence of zebra mussels has dramatically reduced turbidity and made the river an attractive hunting zone for this invasive species.
New York state’s Department of Environmental Conservation along with the US Fish and Wildlife Service have made efforts to control the cormorant population on the US side of the river, but their efforts are not achieving the desired goal because Ontario officials continue to sit on their hands.
New York State Senator Jim Wright, along with Tom Nichols, the chair of the St. Lawrence county legislature, have called on the Ontario government, through the Minister of Natural Resources, to work co-operatively with US agencies to address this growing problem before irreversible losses occur.
