Life Sciences Commons^™

Strategies To Reduce Double-Crested Cormorant Depredation At Aquaculture Facilities In Mississippi, David S. Reinhold, Charles A. (Bo) Sloan

Symposium on Double-Crested Cormorants: Population Status and Management Issues in the Midwest

Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) depredation throughout the Southeastern United States has been on the increase over the past 20 years. The increase in depredation coincides with the growth of the aquaculture industry and an expansion of double-crested cormorant wintering populations throughout the Southeast. The U.S. Department of Agriculture–Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service–Wildlife Services plays a major role in reducing double-crested cormorant damage. Nonlethal harassment on farms, dispersal from night roosts, and lethal control have reduced double-crested cormorant depredation at aquaculture farms in Mississippi. However, the efficiency and compatibility of current methods of reducing double-crested cormorant depredation must …