New York Sea Grant Launches Survey for Documenting Double-Crested Cormorants

There's an online survey where New York residents can document observations of a bird species known as the double-crested cormorant. The survey was developed by New York Sea Grant after an official in Wayne County received several calls from residents regarding issues about a recent colony of those birds on the local shoreline. Stacy Furgal, a Great Lakes fisheries and ecosystem health specialist with New York Sea Grant, says the presence of cormorants can adversely impact local habitats...

Stacy Furgal: excrement is very acidic

Furgal says charter fishing captains have also expressed interest in seeing more research on the birds and their predation of fish, particularly after young fish stocking. The survey was initially focused on Lake Ontario, but Furgal says it has since expanded to include the entire state...

Stacy Furgal: launched it statewide

Furgal, who was a call-in guest on WDOE's "Viewpoint" program on Thursday, says there have been documented sightings of cormorants in Western New York, including one report along Chautauqua Lake in the Town of North Harmony. The survey, which is available by clicking here, will be available through at least the end of 2027.

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service