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Double-crested cormorants are a common sight across Alberta, frequently seen perched along the Bow River in Calgary or diving for fish in the province’s many waterways.<\/p>\n
Some anglers and conservationists would even say they’ve become too common.<\/p>\n
Alberta Wildlife Federation fish chair Darryl Smith says anglers have been concerned that double-crested cormorants are having a serious impact on recovering fish populations and stocked trout ponds. <\/p>\n
“These birds just come in, and basically hours after the hatchery truck arrives, they’ve caught a lot of the fish,” Smith said.<\/p>\n
He says because they consume a high percentage of stocked fish so quickly, their predation of fish has a significant economic cost. <\/p>\n
“This is probably a good example of where we need to have some management actions,” he said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790718369_241_default.jpg\")
A double-crested cormorant swimming in the Bow River in Calgary, where the birds are a common sight. (Amir Said\/CBC)<\/p>\n
To manage cormorant numbers and keep fish consumption down at fisheries, the provincial government launched culling and population control programs in Lac La Biche (2005-2014) and Bonnyville (2021-2025), both in northeastern Alberta.<\/p>\n
“Current cormorant management tools include population monitoring and targeted population control measures designed to limit population growth and reduce local impacts,” the environment ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The province offers damage control licences<\/a> to eligible Albertans to kill cormorants deemed nuisances. <\/p>\n As of 2025, cormorants can also be hunted without a licence on private land.<\/p>\n “We are also working with the Alberta Wildlife Federation on citizen science efforts to improve information on colony locations, abundance, and activity,” the ministry said.<\/p>\n WATCH | Cormorant colony causes traffic concerns in Nova Scotia: N.S. to relocate bird colony away from dangers of highway<\/p>\n The Natural Resources Department is trying to figure out what to do about a growing colony of cormorants nesting beside the Pictou Causeway. Some have collided with traffic as they fly over the road to fish. The CBC’s Gareth Hampshire has the story.<\/p>\n NatureCounts<\/a>, a platform that compiles data from wildlife sightings and population trends through citizen science, suggests double-crested cormorant populations in North America have soared over the last several decades. <\/p>\n “It is a species that’s done very well in terms of its increased range and numbers throughout the province,” Smith said.<\/p>\n Population data suggests cormorant numbers have increased by upwards of 500 per cent in parts of North America since 1970. That resurgence is due to environmental regulations such as the banning of the pesticide DDT, which decimated populations of various fish-eating birds by causing severe eggshell thinning.<\/p>\n But much like grizzly bears<\/a>, there hasn’t been a provincial study of cormorant populations recently.<\/p>\n “The last provincewide survey was in the late ’80s and ’90s, so the data needs to be updated,” Smith said. <\/p>\n He said that before implementing any management strategies, the province must have current data to better understand the population, range, colony locations and ecological impacts of cormorants.<\/p>\n To help do that, the Alberta Wildlife Federation launched a citizen science initiative in August, calling for people to report cormorant locations through an online form<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We want to make sure that any program coming out of this is effective and has the outcomes that support the ecosystem,” Smith said. <\/p>\n Concerns raised around cormorant hunt<\/p>\n Ruiping Luo, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, says that although cormorants are often blamed for harming fisheries, they frequently target and help control invasive species.<\/p>\n “Given that we are struggling with invasive species in a lot of our rivers, that’s helpful in order to manage the ecosystem,” she said.<\/p>\n Under provincial law, the flesh of game birds must not be abandoned or wasted in Alberta. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790718370_349_default.jpg\")
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