They can have those nasty, ugly birds. I can't believe they're going to all that trouble for that species. It equivalent to not demolishing a house because you don't want to disturb the cockroach community.
I blame the cormorant problem mostly on the otter hunters. They decimated the otter population. Without the otters the urchins exploded in population. Urchins love to eat the anchor posts of kelp. No anchor points and suddenly the kelp beds are lost. Kelp beds are of course rearing areas for candle fish, herring, young salmon and other prey of the cormorant. Cormorant prey declines, cormorants move inland and discover what the hatchery trucks look like. They are just adapters, quite effective at that. Now loons, don't get me started.
Yeah, I fish a lake in BC every spring. One loon is assigned to every fly fisherman by the loon community.
I suspect all hell breaks loose underwater after I release a fish.
On the otter front.....lots more otters out there now than in 1970. The huge population swings in our ocean populations have to affect the ecology and species populations in the salt water. Not many people are following it.
Did you see the PBS article on star fish populations?? Did not the urchin population crash a decade or so ago??
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Washington Fly Fishing Forum
1.8M posts
21.4K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to fishers, anglers and enthusiasts in the Washington area. Come join the discussion about safety, gear, boats, tackle, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!