chessflyfisher2 Loc: NJ

This past fishing season, many freshwater shoreline bound anglers like myself were agreeing with me that this was not such a great year for fishing whether you were a catch and release or a keep all you legally can keep type of sportsman. Most of the guys I spoke to blame the cormorants eating all kinds of fish, even the bluegills! What do the state biologists say about this? Are these birds to "blame" or have we just suffered a collective bad luck?

J in Cleveland Loc: Cleveland, Ohio

We have the same problem in Ohio with those giant winged rats!!! I don’t know what biologists say but my eyes tell me there population is 10x’s what it was 20 years ago and the fishing has declined anywhere they are prevalent!!

Tight lines
J

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

11,653 double crested cormorants were killed by SC hunters during the first hunt in 2013. A second hunt is scheduled for 2024.

JDFishes Loc: Atlantic County

Always enjoyed watching Cormorants fish and rely on them while surf fishing. I’m certainly not qualified to know the causes but maybe the millions of additional anglers are part of the problem. From what I can tell fishing was phenomenal when settlers first came here and cormorant populations were at their peak. Again, I’m not really educated on the topic just an observation, but damn I love birds almost as much as fish!😁

chessflyfisher2 Loc: NJ

I somewhat see your point as these creatures have a right to live as any other does. Nevertheless, it does seem to be a problem. The state doesn't raise trout for feeding them. I'd like to hear from state biologists about this.

Fishing Fool Loc: redding, ca

They are nio welcomed on my lake and often get Remington Disease as they do not leave.

kscatfisherman Loc: Northeast Kansas

Cormorants are a big problem here in Kansas reservoirs. Being a shoreline fisherman for panfish, bluegills are harder to come by each year, 5 or 6 years ago they were plentiful. I fish the Perry, Ks reservoir and haven't caught a bullhead in 20 years or more. I like the SC problem-solving, 11,653 would make a good start here.

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

They need to kill a few more

UncleRob Loc: NE Maryland

Need to kill damn near all of them. The Chesapeake is FILTHY with the damn things. I could kill 50 of them every time we run up The Choptank in the spring and summer.

JDFishes Loc: Atlantic County

Not sure about all of your post but I would agree their is many other factors likely contributing to the diminishing fisheries across America. Angler participation jumped by 15 million since Covid. I see the same guys blaming the Cormorant posting pic's w buckets full of fish then bitching the fishing is not what it was 20 years ago.😳Personally when I fish w my boys we almost always enjoy the various birds that hunt in our fisheries, I e never viewed them as competitors but rather a part of the nature I’m enjoying. Ive seen HUNDREDS of Bald Eagles while fishing the Potomac. I never once thought they should be killed. I used to view clown gulls as rats w wings because I’d see them at the dump or boardwalk stealing food, until I was privileged to view a flock at my local reservoir feeding on baitfish as God created them to. Clearly I agree invasive species that have been brought in may need to be dealt with. Cormorants are native to most of America. Their numbers were vastly greater 100 years ago then anything we see today and I can assure you fishing was Incredible. If an official official from wildlife management see they need to be managed like deer or turkeys or other native creatures then I can except that. But a blatant call by so many on this forum to kill cormorants and blame them for poor fishing conditions seems very irrational, selfish ,uneducated and cruel. I can tell you for sure if you were seen harassing or injured any birds illegally around here you would likely get your ass kicked because all the fishermen I know have a great respect for all nature not just fish.

JDFishes Loc: Atlantic County

And yes our grandfathers add pictures of stringers of fish but that was 80 years ago when there was a couple million people fishing today there is over 50 million anglers in America. What is really disturbing to me is that people can be so ignorant and can’t understand that fish has been overharvested for the past 25 years and that is the main reason for fisheries being depleted. Ask anyone who has fish for stripers for more than 30 years in the Northeast and they will tell you what overfishing has done to the ones massive schools. Or go to Guntersville that is still a great fishery but nowhere near what it was before millions of anglers started descending upon it. Seems like some people aren’t willing to give up their old ways and want to blame the problems on everything but themselves.peace.

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Only talking about thinning a few out, you are the one over the line calling us uneducated, selfish, irrational and need our ass kick.

chessflyfisher2 Loc: NJ

I think that the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife biologists get false feedback from fishermen who are "embarassed" to admit that they had poor fishing days. Therefore, saying that freshwater fishing in New Jersey is better than ever is based on faulty feedback that minimizes the cormorant problem. Of course, there are other factors such as a larger percentage of anglers compared to years ago and, unfortunately, many anglers that violate season, size and bag limits.

JDFishes Loc: Atlantic County

No you trying to make a problem when there’s not one I didn’t say you need your ass kicked I said if you were to injure or harass waterfowl illegally that’s likely what would happen around here. i’ll stick by the rest of the statement because I don’t think anyone here is qualified to call for the killing of cormorants.

JDFishes Loc: Atlantic County

I haven’t seen anyone here say New Jersey fishing is better than ever in fact I think quite the opposite but if you would talk to any wildlife manager expert in New Jersey they would gladly tell you the main cause is over fishing.