Cormorants in the Salt

[Denlon]

Over the past week or so, there have been 6 pages of posts/arguments in the Freshwater Forum about cormorants increasing rapidly in freshwater lakes & streams.

I just want to mention, as I did in that forum, that I have been fishing in this area (central jersey) for over 60 years and I have never seen so many of them as I have in recent years. I don't have a bone to pick personally about their presence since they are not foreign invaders and it's just nature taking its course.

I do however want to mention that the same phenomenal increase is taking place in the salt water areas as well. I do a lot of fishing in Raritan Bay around Hoffman and Swinburn Islands. I believe that these are in NY waters, but on any sunny day you can float around these islands and see every pole and piling of the old abandoned piers and docks with one of these birds sitting on top. It's sort of neat because most of them have their wings flared out to dry in in sun. It's really neat to see so many of them on display all at once. I never took a picture, but I should have. If someone has a picture of this, I would like to see it posted in this forum.

Denny