Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations First experience with Cormorants

Saw a Cormorant in my pond yesterday for the first time. Up until now, GBH and Egrets are the only water birds I have seen with any regularity. Well, this thing was fishing in the middle of the pond standing on some small limbs from a sunken tree. His feeding spot was about 40 feet from my feeder. Up until yesterday the fish were devouring their normal 2 second afternoon TH feeder ration with great abandon, and in fact, I had been hand throwing them an additional 3 or 4 solo cups of mvp as well. Water temps are about 65 here now. Well, I happened to be standing there when the feeder went off (about 20 minutes after the cormorant left) and for the first time ever, not a single fish showed up to eat! I could not believe it. Eventually, about 5 minutes later a very small group started eating a pellet here or there, but 99% of the feed just sat there untouched. Obviously the cormorant must have spooked them and I guess they all headed for the bottom. Is this common behavior when cormorants come around? I just have never seen anything cause a total shutdown like that before. Even in 28 degree weather I would still have feeder activity. Learn something new everyday with this pond!

Oh, and this morning when I rode out to the pond, there were 4 cormorants feeding! From zero to 4 in one day! Not good.

They can and do dive up to 40 feet deep and will eat a lot of fish... I know this from watching them eat them ..... if you are not in the city make some noise (he he he ) they will leave but will come back..... I dislike them a lot

I have had GBH stand on the pier and wait on the fish to feed..... they aren’t a big a threat as cormorants and I don’t bother them....

I have had a change of heart....I used to hate the herons that walk along the shore....now they are way, way down the list of trouble....the herons walk along the shore and primarily eat frogs, snakes, minnows and small fish.

The diving water turkey are a much bigger problem. And a major problem this year at my pond....gator decoys worked before this year...but no more....sometimes 10-15 of the water turkey are fishing in my pond....they dive under.

Today I put the reflective tape out...I hope it may detour them some...of course the know-it-alls in DC protect Anhinga (water turkey)...but who protects the fish and the thousands of dollars we spend stocking the fish?

I hope they move on and migrate. Look what these A-holes (that Washington protects) did to my dock this week.

I am so thankful to be out of the range of Anhinga! At least the regulations are relaxed for dealing with the cormorants I get once in a while. Zep, I hope you find a remedy.

Sorry but cormorants are protected like the anhinga......

Zep
Bob L says cormorants can and do eat a 1# bass!
Pop a cap and they leave .

Bob is correct - we had a cormorant eat a 12 inch yellow perch which is very similar to the size of a 12" LMB.

https://greatlakesecho.org/2018/04/12/people-can-once-again-kill-cormorants/
Some permits are granted for cormorant control, I did not know that permits were granted for anhinga. So far, thankfully, I have only seen a few and they don't stick around long.

CMM
From what I can tell Texas stopped the killing of cormorants once again, information is not to clear tho

Pat, from what I have read, some state issue special permits for cormorants while others do not. I hate to see the possible loss of any species, but have trouble swallowing 60 or 80 year old decrees that protect destructive animals that currently have stable or increasing populations. My fish are not my lively hood, only my sanity. I have watched red tail hawks taking chickens from my own yard, herons and cormorants robbing my pond while geese befouled it. All with little that could be done. I can only imagine the frustration people who make a living with their ponds and fish must feel.

CMM
This winter we have had a pair of Bald Eagles, an osprey, a few GBH, and a bunch of cormorants, all the other birds are welcome but when you get a mess of cormorants come calling they can put the hurt on fish populations. Shooting near them puts them in flight most of the time. I had an Osprey steal a fish from a cormorants mouth, now that was cool to see

I once, many years ago, came upon a dead cormorant with a 14 or 15 inch common carp lodged in its throat. Greedy bird took too big of a bite.

Carp are good for something!

I'd be interested in baiting a hook with an appropriate sized fish and placing the bait out there where the cormorants commonly fish. Or setting up something like a gill net right in the area the birds favor.

It would really be too bad if you weren't able to get out to check the net or baited line often enough, wouldn't it?

From my experience the Cormorant (Water Turkey) will send out scouts that look for food. Checking our ponds for an easy meal, and if they find one they like, there will be more show up in the next few days. If the scout is not discouraged and a good food supply is available they can and may return in higher numbers. A lot of us have all seen single's feeding, swimming and diving the pond. But, if not discouraged from returning they may show up with high numbers of them. In that case, they may work together driving fish to an area where the Cormorant can feast and really do damage to your pond fish. It can cost a lot of money to correct the damage they have done. I would suggest you take action to discourage any Water Turkey that shows up at your pond. It is illegal to take some and maybe all actions against the birds so I would not advertise what actions are taken to discourage the darn birds. Can you tell I am no fan of these birds?

Tracy, that's what I'm seeing here. Almost every day we're having single's show up, and they typically roost on a cedar stump in the middle of our pond. I hop on the Mule, and go shoot a dove load at the stump. They almost always just fly away, and not dive under the water. This has been going on for several weeks, and now some of the cormorants are taking off as soon as they hear the Mule running. They've probably already made a stop here, and know what's coming next. I do think they're scouts.

Al, ya need ta upgrade to #5 or 6 and target practice a little higher on the stump. Have a spade ready.

Bob-O, I'm lucky if I even hit the water.

Ditto everything TGW posted.

Yup

So what happened to my fish? lol Today was the third day in a row that the feeder went off and...nothing! How long will they stay cowering in fear on the bottom? I ran the "birds" off twice today so they were only there an hour or two today at most. Usually, an hour or two before the feeder goes off you can see hundreds of BG staging and waiting. That's why it is so hard for me to believe that every single one of them is in hiding, but I can think of no other explanation. Is this a " thing" when cormorants come around?

Hello.

Since 2012 the government in addition to the moratorium, authorizes the slaughter of the cormorants to save the Yellow perch in the St-Pierre lake on St-Lawrence river.

Do you have these problems with the cormorants in U.S.A.

A+

First what is the water temp, second have you seen any otter activity in or around pond?
I don’t think that they get paranoid over a few being harassed that I can tell. I have a 5 ac pond and not feeding at the moment.

410 3 inch shells 4 shot 30+ yds. Huge pattern. I have pellet trained many geese this way! Ought to work on cormorants as well.

Any closer than 30 yds and you might "accidentally" actually hurt one of the little darlings!

I've said this before. I would never recommend that anyone break the law. However, if I raised chickens and a chicken hawk was getting them, I doubt that I would apply for a permit to do anything about it.

+1 Dave

I too can tell when a cormorant has been around. My fish get spooked just like you said. When I see this I make extra passes during the day to look for him. Sure enough, I always spot one.