You can use it for research or reference. To access the current information, please visit NatureCounts - The State of Canada’s Birds (external link).
The Double-crested Cormorant is the most abundant cormorant in Canada, and typically breeds on islands in both freshwater and marine environments. A variety of surveys provide strong evidence that Double-crested Cormorants have shown a large increase in abundance in Canada since the 1970s, and in some locations, these increases have been dramatic and accompanied by the establishment of new breeding colonies. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Seen as a competitor by the fishing industry or an easily exploitable resource, the Double-crested Cormorant has long been vilified and persecuted at each of its life stages (Dorr et al. 2014). Its numbers were dramatically reduced in the 19th century as a result of direct persecution, and again in the 1960s and 1970s because of its susceptibility to contaminants such as DDT (Dorr et al. 2014). With the population’s recovery following the banning of DDT and tighter environmental regulations, conflicts began to arise in the name of competition with sport- and commercial-fishers, habitat degradation, and adverse impacts on other breeding birds. Though those impacts were often unsubstantiated, cormorant control was employed on both sides of the border (Wires 2015). Between 1998 and 2016, to protect public resources and commercial interests, the United States allowed cormorant control without requiring a permit (e.g., at aquaculture facilities). Since conflicts with humans will likely continue, and Double-crested Cormorant management will remain on the horizon, management methods, options, and policies need to be developed (Wires and Weseloh 2018).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.