Corps of Engineers can kill bird that eat salmon on Columbia River

[JayDubP]

This shows how complex the issue of how to manage the salmon is. A Federal judge ruled the Arm Corps of Engineers can continue to kill cormorant birds on the Columbia River because they eat juvenile salmon and steelhead.... Here is link to Yahoo article.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-judge-govt-keep-killing-salmon-eating-birds-204916614.html

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I have mixed emotions on this one.......

[Digger]

We've long ago upset the balance of nature with our infinite wisdom.
I thought somewhere in the past I read that some of these "islands" where they nest were man made from dredging the river channels.
Lol the law of unintended consequences

we probably don't benefit financially from Cormorants in any way.
and those damn sea lions!

But, I'm for it. and we shall wait and see what the long term consequences are from this.

[Darian]

Like Bill, I have mixed emotions about this. Shooting/spreading oil on nests....(???) One action (shooting) looks to be a bit inefficient and possibly cruel as wounded birds may escape to die. Spreading oil on nests to prevent hatching is efficient and results in reduction in numbers over time without potential pain/suffering on the part of adult birds.

On the other hand, the Corps was authorized to reduce the Cormorant population by a specific amount and apparently haven't reached that amount, yet....

Another attempt to find a balance, I guess. I'm with Digger in that we'll just have to wait to see what the long term consequences are....

[JayDubP]

I wonder why they just do not undo what man did? Just lower these "islands" so they are a few inches underwater and the birds cannot nest---Since the "islands" were created from dredging the silt/etc that built up from the Mt St Helen's explosion.

Where did the birds nest before the islands were created? AND were the birds eating juvenile salmon before the "islands" were created?