The double-crested cormorant, a fish-eating bird that can dive to 60 feet underwater, is becoming a major concern for Southern California fisheries managers.

At Santa Ana River Lakes, cormorants eat an estimated $100,000 worth of stocked trout each year. The birds have also impacted fish populations on Laguna Niguel, Irvine and other nearby lakes.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife plan to manage cormorant numbers won't help California or other Western states. Scheduled for implementation later this year, it is directed at bird populations in Eastern and Great Lakes states

No $#!+ man!!!

I live in SD and they're freakin everywhere.
I say we kill 'em all, although it's fun to see them go after my swimbaits.

I actually e-mailed my local planting base about this subject last night. I was asking if there is anything we can do to get the ball rolling on a solution. I myself don't care too much for trout fishing anymore. But during the colder months here in Bakersfield it's about the only game in town. Even the more experienced angler can't seem to get many fish (bass). Also, I take one of my little boys with me during trout season because they use to be easy to catch. This year really sucks though. I think they are planting less and smaller fish. The way I see it, we're paying to feed those birds. I guess they figure as long as they put the fish in the lake, they did their job.

http://www.fishinghotpage.com/comorant.html

check that one out. and sign the petition.

Blaming birds for the lack of fish in our lakes is only half the story. There is another more insidious creature taking more than their share of fish out of the lakes. That creature is the two legged variety armed with the latest that technology can provide.

It seems to me that there are three major problems resulting in the lack of fish being caught in the local lakes:

1.You can go to any of the local lakes that stock trout and see for yourself how many anglers take more than their legal limits. Anyone that denies this is only fooling themselves. See how many buckets and little coolers go back and forth to the parking lot.
2.Even worse than #1 is the in discriminant poaching done by netting. My friends have caught and turned in poachers netting at Pudd to the Police. Why the police you ask? Because DFG is not patrolling the lake. You can tell the poachers have been around due to the clumps of vegetation left on the shore from their nets.
3.Last but not least is the fact that there are just so many people fishing these lakes. As our population grows each year so does the pressure exerted on the lakes from fishermen. Fishing is one of the biggest participated sports in the US. Even more fishermen will fish freshwater this year because of all the closures in the ocean. More fishermen equals less fish.

They say fishing is for the birds. LOL. That is only half the story.

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AMP2564

I think most of the people that are actually fishing with rod and reel don't catch much if any of the fish. At least not in my neck of the woods. I don't think poachers are a problem in my area. If they were I sure would like to get em' busted. I'd get a pellet gun and shoot em' in the ass from the darkness. That would be a good way to take care of those sorry so and so's. If I knew of any of that going on, I would go out of my way to catch them. Trout fishing is more of a way to get a fishing fix or to pass time more than anything. But it sure would be nice to be able to catch those sorry little things when you got the urge. I mostly fish for them so my oldest boy can catch some fish.

those damn cormis are eating all my bait .i have to put a special order with white water lol

I do not believe fisherman are to blame for a majority of the poor fishing. The fact is the cormorants population has exploded and each bird can eat up to 3 lbs of fish each day. multiply that by X amount of birds and that adds up. Unfortanatly California could not pass a hunting season on them.