^ Photo by Dick Daniels, carolinabirds.org

During the past three decades our nation’s population of double-crested cormorants has grown exponentially. This fish-eating bird, a distant relative of pelicans, nests in large colonies in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions and winters along the southeastern coast from October-March. They have strong flocking behavior and will congregate in locations where the fishing is good. This causes conflict with those who maintain ponds stocked with fish.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now provides permits to shoot cormorants when they create an economic hardship. These permits are very restrictive. They allow shooting a few birds to deter larger flocks from becoming habituated in stocked ponds.