Guys - I was told that putting out sticks with ribbons attached or flags will help keep commerants off of a pond. The movement bugs them - anyone tried this and does it work?

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Depends on how many and how hungry they are, in my experience.

This was on Facebook yesterday....

Fisheries Biologist Steven Bardin
11 hrs ·

Your chance to comment on the proposed rule changes to increase the lethal take of cormorants is closing March 9th. So far they have 867 comments, most in favor of increasing harvest. If you need a bit of motivation for your comment here is what I posted.

"Over the past two decades fisheries management of private small impoundments has grown in popularity throughout the U.S. Through this private landowners have become educated on the value of their fisheries resources both to their overall property valuation as well as for recreational usage. These landowners now annually invest in their small impoundments through the purchase of various species of fish, hiring of private biologist to assess fish populations, improvements to water quality, and additions of fish structures and feeders.

Cormorant predation of free swimming fishes in small impoundments although not significantly researched by academia appears from observation to be much more sever then larger water bodies. Primarily this is due to the fact that small impoundments are shallower, have lower surface area to habitat ratios, have higher density fish populations, and in many causes are continually stocked with fish. The issue with continual fish stocking is magnified by the fact that commercially available fish typically have body lengths within the preferred forage size range of cormorants. To complicate this further current deterrent methods do not appear to provide long term relief from cormorant predation for these property owners. The lack of ability to adequately protect their investments, specifically free swimming fishes, from predation via migratory birds including double crested cormorants has become demoralizing.

At this time with the proposed changes to take of double crested cormorants it is time to not only implement a state depredation order but also, allow states to begin issuing private property owners state depredation permits. State depredation permitting will finally allow private property owners the ability to protect their financial investment in their fisheries. Allowing the take of cormorants on private waterbodies via state permitting would likely have little to no impact on the U.S. bird population but would give property owners a more effective tool for deterrent of these birds. Property owners who actively engage in fisheries management would also likely be individuals that would participate in voluntarily population counts, keep and report records of take, and support further research of cormorant impacts."



To make a comment:

https://www.regulations.gov/docket?...oPT82r9ufi8jyWCnESmDlxbU4tqC7F_94kGuP-BU

Jumped 10 of them off the pond yesterday. The war is on.

Thanks, Zep. I commented!

One was here this morning.... ugh

Ever since we started stocking our pond with trout they show up like clock work every year. Before that we never saw them. It's heartbreaking to watch them gulp down $6.25 trout. Enough commotion will eventually get them to leave... Periodically...

I went from 10 cormorants the day before yesterday to 5 yesterday. Also had a Bald Eagle setting on a stump just a few feet away from the feeder and a Great Blue Heron was also on the pond. I was too slow to get a pic of the Eagle but it was something to see since it was so close to the water surface. A really beautiful bird. My Golden had a blast chasing all of them off the pond.

Zep, thanks for posting the link. I placed a comment there.

I did also - very easy to do.

Haven’t been able to get to my place for a couple of weeks to find out if they wiped me out again.
Been full time working on a rent house. Hope to get there next week

Thanks ZEP, I submitted my experience were the birds killed hundreds of fish in my pond with just one flight of them.

I submitted my experience also!! Thank you too ZEP!!