Vermont Fish and Wildlife officials have started shooting and trapping double-crested cormorants in an effort to control the population. The effort is taking place on Young Island near Grand Isle in Lake Champlain. Officials say the so-called “lethal control” is expected to continue until early July.
The state shot cormorants last year to stop the spread of a disease, but this is the first time it’s using the method for general population control. Cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which says they can’t be killed without the authority of the federal government. Vermont is one of several states that has received that authority.