Wildlife

Northwest Seabirds Pitted Against Endangered Fish Species

Two sets of conservationists in the western United States are at odds over plans to kill 11,000 double-crested cormorants on Oregon’s East Sand Island to protect endangered juvenile salmon and steelhead trout from the Columbia River.

The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to cull the live birds with shotguns and pour oil on the nests of about 26,000 birds to prevent their eggs from hatching.

The move has drawn criticism from the Audubon Society of Portland and Care2.

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission counters that it's hard enough for the fish to make it through a network of dams on the river without being eaten up by a large number of cormorants at the river's mouth.

“This is a difficult situation,” said Corps spokeswoman Diana Fredlund. “We are trying to balance the salmon and steelhead versus the birds.”