Bientôt 3 000 cormorans seront tués en Ontario... encore !

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Cormorant Cull goes ahead at Presqu’ile
1.5 mile perimeter set around High Bluff Island
by John Chambers
The Independent


The controversial culling of up to 3,000 birds will go ahead at High Bluff Island near Presqu’ile Provincial Park this year and Ministry of Natural Resources officials are warning that anyone coming inside a makeshift 1.5 mile perimeter of the island will be charged.


MNR officials and members of the Northumberland OPP met in Brighton Friday afternoon with members of Cormorant Defenders International and their lawyer Clayton Ruby.

According to Julie Woodyer, representing the wildlife group, government officials warned anyone who violated the perimeter in an attempt to observe and document the government-run cormorant cull would be charged.

“This is a clear violation of our constitutional right to freedom of expression,” Ms. Woodyer said. “They know the slaughter is cruel, unnecessary and can’t solve the problems they say they’re trying to solve, but instead of addressing that, they’d rather squash our rights, keep us away, and get on with it.

“It violates our constitutional rights and we will be challenging it,” she added.

According to Ms. Woodyer members of the group were told the 1.5 mile zone only extends from 8 a.m. on May 15 through until next Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m.

Susan Grigg, Park Planner for the South Eastern Zone, Ontario Parks, who was taking calls regarding the cormorant cull Monday morning at Presqu’ile Provincial Park said the cull could last weeks however.

“Culling will be a management action as part of the cormorant management strategy this year,” Ms. Grigg said. “In addition to oiling eggs and ground nests, removing tree nests and disturbing of roosting cormorants.

In total, Ms. Grigg said MNR is targeting a maximum of 3,000 adult tree nesting cormorants on High Bluff Island this year, adding the cull could begin anytime and there is no telling when it might end.

“It could last for several weeks but it will be dependent on weather conditions and the reaction of the cormorants and other nesting species,” she said. “So it could be several weeks or until they are up to that 3,000 maximum.”

Ms. Grigg said that while the 1.5 mile perimeter surrounding High Bluff Island hasn’t been initiated in the past, staff felt the safety precautions were worth the buffer zone.

“There are MNR staff doing the culling and there are also observers there that monitor any boat traffic around the islands and as well to monitor the cormorants and other bird species in the woodlands,” she said. “A notice to shipping has been posted by the Canadian Coast Guard and it has closed the waters around the Presqu’ile Islands to ensure that management activities can be carried out safely.”

With a notice of shipping in place, Ms. Grigg said the OPP would enforce the set-back.

“It hasn’t been done in this case in the past (1.5 mile perimeter) but I know that it is done by the Canadian Coast Guard typically for public safety reasons so if boaters are in an area that has been posted as unsafe then the Ontario Provincial Police has the mandate to enforce safety measures.”

The carcasses of the cormorants will be placed in a compost landfill on High Bluff Island. Last fall MNR staff had to remove the decomposing cormorants from the island after mercury levels in the compost site exceeded Ministry of Environment levels.

An amendment to the Certificate of Approval has expanded the maximum capacity of the waste disposal site, from 15 tons to 140 cubic metres. The initial amendment was to increase the maximum storage capacity to 35 tons, but by switching to cubic metres Ontario Parks can add significantly more filler as needed to dilute contaminants found in the birds.

“It’s just pathetic; the Ministry responsible to ensure no pollutants escape into the environment approves a plan so another Ministry can escape public scrutiny and accountability,” said AnnaMaria Valastro of the Peaceful Parks Coalition.

“By expanding the capacity of the waste disposal site, Ontario Parks avoids any further tests measuring contaminants. Ontario Parks is not required to test the waste pile until it reaches its maximum capacity and the waste must be removed.”
Published in The Independent May 17, 2006

http://www.eastnorthumberland.com/article.php?id=290