… biologist says

The province is considering allowing cormorants to be classified as “game
birds” because their numbers have grown exponentially. But some researchers
say we should put down the guns and let nature take its course.

The population of double-crested cormorants has grown exponentially in the
province, but unleashing hunters on them is not the way to control their
numbers, says a prominent McMaster University biologist.

Jim Quinn, who has been studying cormorants
<https://www.thespec.com/news-story/4532320-three-santas-helping-harbour-gul
ls/> and other water birds in Hamilton Harbour
<https://www.thespec.com/news-story/2235878-hamilton-harbour-what-s-good-wha
t-s-not-so-good/> since the early ’90s, says “I think hunting them is a
crazy idea and unnecessary because the population is stabilizing on its
own.”

The provincial Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is proposing to
list cormorants as a “game bird,” creating a hunting season to help manage
the population. The move is in response to concerns from anglers, commercial
fishers, and others who…