The scenes that prompt such grumbling are not sylvan lakes in the middle of a breathtaking wilderness. Whittier's Legg Lake, Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles and El Dorado Park Lake in Long Beach are just some of the artificial ponds with sizable numbers of cormorants during prime fishing seasons. Elsewhere, the lakes are even ringed by smokestacks and drab industries. The last thing they want is nature interfering with the experience. And fishing in urban lakes is usually not the challenge it is in natural lakes or roaring rivers.
Fish have few if any places to hide.
This is good not only for anglers, but also for birds and even other predatory fish. Environmentalists and federal and state officials, however, contend that the problem posed by cormorants is greatly exaggerated. One official said some fishermen just have a bad attitude. This isn't shooting fish in a barrel. Sometimes you catch a fish, sometimes you don't.