US judge: Gov't can keep killing salmon-eating birds on the Columbia River

Source: Associated Press

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 6:18 PM

US judge: Gov't can keep killing salmon-eating birds

BY GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press

A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps Engineers can continue killing double-crested cormorants that prey on Columbia River salmon and steelhead in a move that shows just how complex the debate has become over how to best sustain imperiled fish species emblematic of the Pacific Northwest.

Following the ruling made public Thursday, the Audubon Society of Portland on Friday called the decision "deeply disappointing."

Along with other groups, it contends that hydroelectric dams pose the greatest threat to the fish and says it is unnecessary to reduce the number of fish predators by shooting thousands of cormorants and spreading oil on thousands of nests to prevent cormorant eggs from hatching.

"It is time for the government to stop this slaughter and recognize that its cormorant killing program rests on a foundation of broken laws," said Bob Sallinger, conservation director of Portland's Audubon Society.

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