cormorants Cormorants on Edwards and Pelican

[leech~~]

I hope these lakes are not the next Leech Lake or years past. This video was from last weekend out on Edward. Gooseberry Island on Pelican is loaded with Cormorant nests. Walleye fishing on Edwards and Pelican is down in the last few years. Hope the DNR can take a few out! 

Hope this video plays or someone can tell me how to post it?

GEDC0293.MOV

Edited July 15, 2015 by Rick

[JBMasterAngler]

If ever there was an animal/bird that the state would put a bounty on, the cormorant would be tops on my list!

[eyes']

It is sickening to see these birds taking over that area!  We have been talking about how there seems to be about 6 times the amount of those worthless birds on Pelican this year compared to the last few years.  I sure hope the DNR plans to do something about it!  

[omers]

There was a ton of them on Horseshoe last weekend also. Probably just head over there after filling up on Pelican.

[leech~~]

Contacted the Brainerd area Fisheries. Here is his reply. Please feel free to send him an email as well to let him know what your seeing and how you feel. Here is my reply back to him.

Hi Mike

Sorry the video would not open. It is a pan-shot of hundreds of Cormorants out on Edwards. We are at a Resort on the lake and up every weekend. Every day large flocks of them come over the north west corner of the lake from Pelican. Walleye fishing on Edwards has dropped greatly and I have only caught 5 of them since opener and that is fishing just about every weekend since then. We have been on the lake for the last 12 years and they are causing a negative effect on not only Pelican which I also ice fish each winter but other area lakes. I hope we don’t wait too long and have a few more Leech Lakes on our hands!

 

Steve A. 

Hi Steve,

 

I was not able to view the video, but we’ve had a number of calls regarding cormorants on area lakes, including Edward.  Our non-game wildlife staff have been surveying the Gooseberry colony for several years now and have documented the increase in cormorant numbers there.  It is likely that the birds on Edward are foraging from that colony on Pelican.  We will continue to watch fish populations closely for any negative effects linked to cormorants and adapt management accordingly.  If you have further questions, just let me know.

 

Tight lines,

 

Mike Knapp

Assistant Area Fisheries Supervisor

1601 Minnesota Dr.

Brainerd, MN  56401

(218) 203-4304

[email protected]

[Marble eyes]

I've been wondering what's going on out there. I've been fishing pelican for 20 years, I've noticed the last few years walleye fishing has declined dramatically. I've been thinking I just can't catch them, but been spending hours trolling a cam down there, see very few eyes compared to years past. Do these cormorants really eat that many walleye?

[bassfisher123]

You have not seen a lot of birds (Pelicans, Cormorants) until you have seen the island on Pigeon Lake in Meeker County, there is a TON of birds. The cormorants have had a big impact on the surrounding lakes. I have seen thousands of birds on some lakes near Pigeon.

[ThunderLund78]

I've seen that island, I've always thought it was kind of a cool view from 15 when you drove by Pigeon, so I checked it out on the DNR lakefinder.  Looks kinda like a dead sea - is that because of the birds or has it always been more of a wetland?  Either way, plenty of good lakes in that area and I would guess the birds access all of them from that staging area.

[JP Z]

Yeah, I know on Leech when they had the "sharpshooters" take out a bunch that seemed to help.  I really don't like those birds, they are just a problem species it seems.  Of course the DNR is fine with controlling the Deer herd and Wolf population but why not the BLA Cormorants?

[leech~~]

Hey, I caught another "four" more Walleye's-since JULY!  Maybe everything is ok with the birds then?

 

Edited September 4, 2015 by leech~~

[JP Z]

You had me worried there for a minute leech.....glad everything is back to normal!

[leech~~]

On Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 7:05 PM, leech~~ said:

Contacted the Brainerd area Fisheries. Here is his reply. Please feel free to send him an email as well to let him know what your seeing and how you feel. Here is my reply back to him.

 

Hi Mike

Sorry the video would not open. It is a pan-shot of hundreds of Cormorants out on Edwards. We are at a Resort on the lake and up every weekend. Every day large flocks of them come over the north west corner of the lake from Pelican. Walleye fishing on Edwards has dropped greatly and I have only caught 5 of them since opener and that is fishing just about every weekend since then. We have been on the lake for the last 12 years and they are causing a negative effect on not only Pelican which I also ice fish each winter but other area lakes. I hope we don’t wait too long and have a few more Leech Lakes on our hands!

 

Steve A. 

 

 

Hi Steve,

 

I was not able to view the video, but we’ve had a number of calls regarding cormorants on area lakes, including Edward.  Our non-game wildlife staff have been surveying the Gooseberry colony for several years now and have documented the increase in cormorant numbers there.  It is likely that the birds on Edward are foraging from that colony on Pelican.  We will continue to watch fish populations closely for any negative effects linked to cormorants and adapt management accordingly.  If you have further questions, just let me know.

 

Tight lines,

 

Mike Knapp

Assistant Area Fisheries Supervisor

1601 Minnesota Dr.

Brainerd, MN  56401

(218) 203-4304

[email protected]

 

Ok if anyone is concerned for Pelican or any of the lakes around Pelican now is the time to get on the phone or email with the Brainerd fisheries guy above of the main DNR office and start bugging them.

We need some birds gone this year before the fish are!

[Tom Sawyer]

We will continue to watch fish populations closely for any negative effects linked to cormorants and adapt management accordingly.  If you have further questions, just let me know.

 

Tight lines,

 

Mike Knapp

Assistant Area Fisheries Supervisor

What more do you think he'd say, or do leech?

Considered my summer home waters I've been concerned for years, but until fish populations drop adversely; that will be the only response you will get. They will need to see a huge crash first, then they will back peddle. Similar to Leech Lake. For now catching plenty of walleye isn't a problem. When Lake Edward gets 2 million and Pelican close to 4 million fry stocked each year, that's just adds up to a lot of food for the birds. 

[eyes']

Leech, that's strange because in the last pelican lake association letter it said that they got the fed permit to reduce the population of cormorants?  I wonder who to believe now?

[leech~~]

23 minutes ago, eyes' said:

Leech, that's strange because in the last pelican lake association letter it said that they got the fed permit to reduce the population of cormorants?  I wonder who to believe now?

Good to hear eye's and Tom I know they have to restate their patented answer but the squeaky wheel gets the grease and I think the more people contacting and bugging them the better. I hope to smell the sweet scent of gun power coming from Gooseberry Island this spring!

[Tom Sawyer]

Believe me Steve, my wheels have been squeaking, and I have been seeing red for sometime about this issue. What is more concerning is seeing the birds sampling the buffet on smaller neighboring lakes. Lakes that don't see large stocking numbers on a yearly basis. 

We are looking forward to start our annual walleye counts out on Edward and a few smaller lakes in the area this season. Should be an outstanding opener with the warmer then usual water temps.. Give me a call if you need help finding a few for the box Steve.

[leech~~]

7 hours ago, Tom Sawyer said:

Believe me Steve, my wheels have been squeaking, and I have been seeing red for sometime about this issue. What is more concerning is seeing the birds sampling the buffet on smaller neighboring lakes. Lakes that don't see large stocking numbers on a yearly basis. 

We are looking forward to start our annual walleye counts out on Edward and a few smaller lakes in the area this season. Should be an outstanding opener with the warmer then usual water temps.. Give me a call if you need help finding a few for the box Steve.

Thanks Tom, but I know Edwards pretty well-just can't post stringer pictures!  

I just want to make sure it stays that way and watching 100's and 100's (see video on first post) of Cormorant's flying in every morning from Pelican gets a little disheartening.

[Tom Sawyer]

33 minutes ago, leech~~ said:

Thanks Tom, but I know Edwards pretty well-just can't post stringer pictures!  

Great Lake!

[leech~~]

On 4/16/2016 at 10:41 PM, eyes' said:

Leech, that's strange because in the last pelican lake association letter it said that they got the fed permit to reduce the population of cormorants?  I wonder who to believe now?

eye's any word from the lake association when the ensuing cormorant carnage will take place. 

Let me know if they need help with a shovel?

[leech~~]

On Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 10:41 PM, eyes' said:

Leech, that's strange because in the last pelican lake association letter it said that they got the fed permit to reduce the population of cormorants?  I wonder who to believe now?

Anyone know if they have been shooting any of those dang birds as of yet? I'm starting to see big flights of them each day again!

[Huntin&Fishin]

What would be the fine for shooting a comorant? I know countless anglers who all have similar stories with the bird declining fish populations and also ruining all of the shore land trees. Maybe we have to take matters in our own hands if the dnr is just "surveying the population over the past several years". 

[ZachD]

Well I believe they are federally protected by the migratory bird treaty act. So I don't think the outcome would be good.

[eyes']

Are you guys seeing the same amount of birds this year?  I have been up just about every weekend since opener this spring and am not seeing the same numbers.  There was one flock over the 4th that had about 21 birds in it but that was the biggest group I have seen.  Also I am not seeing a ton of them on gooseberry Island so I am guessing they must have shot some and maybe disturbed the nests?  They didn't have any kind of recap in the last Pelican Lake Assoc. news letter so I am just going off of what we have seen this year.

[leech~~]

On 7/12/2016 at 10:25 AM, eyes' said:

Are you guys seeing the same amount of birds this year?  I have been up just about every weekend since opener this spring and am not seeing the same numbers.  There was one flock over the 4th that had about 21 birds in it but that was the biggest group I have seen.  Also I am not seeing a ton of them on gooseberry Island so I am guessing they must have shot some and maybe disturbed the nests?  They didn't have any kind of recap in the last Pelican Lake Assoc. news letter so I am just going off of what we have seen this year.

Still seeing good flocks flying into Edwards every day that I am up there.

[phillyfacks]

We've got a cabin up on Pelican and I've definitely noticed less cormorants on the lake this summer.  The state did grant the owner of Gooseberry Island a permit to kill cormorants, which was done this Spring.  I talked to a DNR officer on the lake this summer and he said they had shot almost 400 birds, I don't recall the exact numbers but it was somewhere between 350-400. 

[leech~~]

17 hours ago, phillyfacks said:

We've got a cabin up on Pelican and I've definitely noticed less cormorants on the lake this summer.  The state did grant the owner of Gooseberry Island a permit to kill cormorants, which was done this Spring.  I talked to a DNR officer on the lake this summer and he said they had shot almost 400 birds, I don't recall the exact numbers but it was somewhere between 350-400. 

Thanks for the Update, I think that I did see less birds out on Edwards as well later this summer. Hopefully they shoot 400 more next spring!

[DANR]

From the fall Pelican Lakes Association newsletter - DNR Fisheries Update:

You may have heard about the 454 adult cormorantsthat were removed from Gooseberrry Island this May by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Unit under a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  DNR staff looked at the stomach contents of 30 birds. Eleven of those birds had stomach contents including: 38 perch (mostly 4- inchers), 7 spot-tail shiners, 7 bluegills, 6 crappies, 1 rock bass, 1 pike, and zero walleyes. 

[leech~~]

26 minutes ago, DANR said:

From the fall Pelican Lakes Association newsletter - DNR Fisheries Update:

You may have heard about the 454 adult cormorantsthat were removed from Gooseberrry Island this May by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Unit under a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  DNR staff looked at the stomach contents of 30 birds. Eleven of those birds had stomach contents including: 38 perch (mostly 4- inchers), 7 spot-tail shiners, 7 bluegills, 6 crappies, 1 rock bass, 1 pike, and zero walleyes.

Thanks for the Update.  Hopefully they shoot 400 more next spring!