Maryland to Continue Killing Mute Swans

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will continue to kill mute swans and destroy their eggs in an effort to keep the invasive species from devouring marsh grasses vital to the Chesapeake Bay.

The DNR today endorsed the recommendations of the majority in a sharply divided state task force. The group reviewed a program that has reduced the number of mute swans on the bay from 4,000 10 years ago to fewer than 500 today.

"While the swans may be beautiful, they continue to pose a serious threat to the Chesapeake Bay and its native wildlife, and non-lethal controls have proven insufficient for reducing the population," DNR Secretary John R. Griffin said in a statement.

Jonathan McKnight, the DNR biologist who coordinated the Mute Swan Advisory Committee, added, "There is a solid body of scientific literature demonstrating that this species . . . causes harm to native species and the Chesapeake ecosystem."

Two animal rights advocates on the 12-member task force issued their own report last month, arguing that "it is simply preposterous for Md. DNR to allege that a few hundred Mute Swans have any measurable negative impact on aquatic vegetation in the Bay."