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Columbia River Estuary Cormorants: Environmental Impact Statement

About the double-crested cormorants

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The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) colony on East Sand Island near the mouth of the Columbia River in Clatsop County, Oregon has grown to approximately 13,000 nesting pairs in 2011 and accounts for over 40% of the Western Population. The colony on East Sand Island is considered to be the largest single-colony in Western North America. The 2010 Status Assessment has more information on the population.

In 2010 and 2011 respectively, this colony consumed approximately 19.2 and 20.5 million hatchery and ESA-listed juvenile salmonids per year, as they migrated out to the Pacific Ocean. This is the single most significant source of mortality affecting juvenile salmonids in the estuary.

What is being proposed

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District is the federal land manager of East Sand Island, and is currently considering management alternatives to reduce the double-crested cormorant predation on Columbia River basin juvenile salmonids listed under the Endangered Species Act. The management alternatives will be studied in an Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act per the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508). For more information on the public’s role in the NEPA process, please see the CEQ's Citizen's Guide to NEPA.

More about this proposal

In 2010, an interagency working group was formed to address the role of double-crested cormorant predation in the Columbia River estuary on the recovery of Endangered Species Act-listed salmon. The group identified preliminary management alternatives, which included reducing the colony size on East Sand Island through various methods by 25 percent, by 50 percent and by 75 percent.

The range of methods to reduce predation could involve a combination of actions to dissuade cormorants from nesting on the island. These actions may include modifying available habitat; conducting hazing activities during the nesting season to prevent colony establishment; selecting a lethal component (collection of eggs, nests and/or possible take of adults); and monitoring cormorants as they leave the island to determine the potential impacts of their dispersal.

Research funded by the Corps, identified increases in average annual population rates to ESA-listed salmon could be realized if the predation was reduced. Overall the benefits from managing double-crested cormorants could be comparable to other individual recovery efforts for ESA-listed salmon. The final report analyzing these benefits is expected to be published in December 2012. Please review the 2011 draft report for more information.

Lead and cooperating agencies

The Corps is the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act. The following agencies will be cooperating on the Environmental Impact Statement: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Department of Agricultures' Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - Wildlife Services; the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For more information

Phone: 503-808-4510

Email us about the Cormorant EIS

Latest News Releases

Public comment sought on draft environmental assessment for adaptive management of predation

4/24/2013

Notice of scoping and public meetings for proposed draft Environmental Impact Statement

11/1/2012

> More News Releases

East Sand Island images

Caption

Public involvement information

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How to be involved

The Corps is requesting your input in this scoping process to help identify the significant issues, reasonable range of alternatives, and/ or other methods that could be implemented to achieve the overall goal of reducing predation on ESA-listed Columbia River basin juvenile salmon from double-crested cormorants.

Submit your comments

Comments can be made in writing, electronically, by mail or over the phone. Comments will be accepted until Dec. 21, 2012.

Address all comments to:

Sondra Ruckwardt, Project Manager

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District

P.O. Box 2946 Portland, Oregon 97208

503-808-4691

Cormorant-EIS@usace.army.mil

Preliminary schedule of events

Scoping: Fall / Winter 2012

Agency and tribal coordination: Ongoing

Public meeting (Olympia): Nov. 8, 2012

Public meeting (Portland): Nov. 13, 2012

Public meeting (Astoria): Nov. 15, 2012

Incorporating public input into draft EIS: Winter 2012 / 2013

Internal agency reviews: Spring 2013

Notice of Availability for draft EIS public comment period: Summer 2013

Public Meetings

Meetings are scheduled for the first two weeks of November. The meeting format will be open house, with representatives from the Corps and cooperating agencies on hand to answer questions with a facilitated discussion. Check back for specific meeting locations. Comments may also be submitted at the meetings.

Olympia, Wash. - Nov. 8, 2012, 5-8 p.m.

Phoenix Inn

415 Capitol Way N.

Olympia, WA 98501

Portland, Ore. - Nov. 13, 2012, 5-8 p.m.

Red Lion Lloyd Center

1021 NE Grand Ave.

Portland, OR 97232

Astoria, Ore. - Nov. 15, 2012, 5-8 p.m.

Holiday Inn Express

204 West Marine Dr.

Astoria, OR 97103

Join the mailing list

To join the Cormorant EIS email list, click this link to email us at Cormorant-EIS@usace.army.mil. You will be sent periodic updates in the form of informational emails. Information in the updates may include scoping meeting announcements, availability of the new information, publication of the draft Environmental Impact Statement, and availability of a final Environmental Impact Statement.

Studies, plans and reports

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Corps of Engineers studies

The Corps has been conducting research studying the impact of avian predation on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River Estuary since 1997. The research on East Sand Island contributes to the understanding of the impacts cormorants have on juvenile salmonids migrating out to the ocean. Click here to see two graphics demonstrating the impact of the cormorant colony on East Sand Island to salmonids. The first graph shows the increasing trend in the rate of predation of the colony on juvenile salmonids. The second graph shows the seasonal proportion of salmon of double-crested cormorants throughout their nesting season.

In 2011 and 2012, the Corps conducted research on East Sand Island to determine effective methods for dissuading double-crested cormorants from nesting on portions of the island. This research utilized human disturbance as a means to prevent nesting on portions of previously used preferred habitat (15% in 2011 and 62% in 2012).

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service studies

In 2003, the USFWS Division of Migratory Bird Management Branch of Permits and Regulations established a new Public Resource Depredation Order to facilitate the protection of public resources from cormorants in 24 states, but excluded the western states. Information on this, including the 2003 final EIS, Double-crested Cormorant Management in the United States, posted at www.fws.gov/migratorybirds.

In 2009, the USFWS approved a five-year extension of the regulations. These regulations will now expire on June 30, 2014. On November 8, 2011 a Notice in the Federal Register was published seeking comments to guide the preparation of additional NEPA documents in developing revised regulations. Several comments requested adding an alternative to expand coverage under the Public Resources Depredation Order for western states.

Pacific Flyway Council Plan

The Pacific Flyway Council is an administration composed of directors or appointees from the public wildlife agencies in each state and province of the western United States, Canada, and Mexico. In the U.S., the Pacific Flyway includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and those portions of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming west of the Continental Divide.

In July 2012, the Council finalized A Framework for the Management of Double-crested Cormorant Predation on Fish Resources in the Pacific Flyway. This plan provides a framework to follow when addressing fish depredation issues involving double-crested cormorants, and includes information concerning biology, status, resources conflicts, management options, regulatory requirements and recommended management strategies.