Teresa hit the nail somewhat on the head.? We could "fix" much of the problem with Columbia River salmonids very easily ; take out the dams.? Now, where do we get the power, irrigation water, and flood control.? Humans have made substantial changes in the environment and it comes at a cost.?



Piscivorous birds do (obviously) eat fish.? Sometimes, they eat a? lot.? For example, the White Pelicans in Yellowstone Lake feed on the native cutthroat.? Because of the way the resources are managed there, this works.? In another part of the Rockies (I forget where but I think Idaho) an expanding pelican nesting colony is hammering a native cutthroat population.?That paopulation of trout was functioning in the absence of pelicans and when they moved in, the trout population suffered.



In WA, most of the complaints against cormorants has come from lakes where they move in and consume the trout between the time they are stocked and opening day.? All should be familiar with the conflict on the Columbia between terns, corms, and salmonid smolts on the lower river.?



I don't agree with the idea that?the sole purpose of those fish is to provide harvest; I believe that the needs of the ecosystem must?be met first.? If there are fish, or other resources , above that, then a harvest can occur.? This does mean, though, that unless human population is reduced to?levels sustainable through natural production of foodstuffs, that some areas will be converted to meeting human needs as a priority.? The flip side, is that areas must be maintained to meet only resource needs where humans needs/wants for consumption come in last.??



Hal Michael
Olympia WA
360-459-4005 (H)
ucd880 at comcast.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Teresa Michelsen " < teresa at avocetconsulting .com>
To: Tweeters at u. washington . edu
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:28:21 PM
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Problem? Ducks & cormorants





Hal Michael
Olympia WA
360-459-4005 (H)
ucd880 at comcast.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Teresa Michelsen " < teresa at avocetconsulting .com>
To: Tweeters at u. washington . edu
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:28:21 PM
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Problem? Ducks & cormorants






> I also find it interesting that nobody goes after the cormorants which are currently feeding here in large numbers alongside the mergansers.?




They do ? fishermen dislike cormorants the world over, as far as I? ve noticed. They eat a lot of fish and along with pelicans, make a mess. I? ve heard complaints about cormorants and terns on the Columbia River, to the point of trying to have sandbars removed because they provided tern nesting habitat. To me it seems obvious that there would be plenty of salmon for all if not for habitat destruction, dams, overfishing etc., and that blaming the birds and seals is kind of a desperate maneuver.



Teresa Michelsen

Olympia WA
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