Man Charged with Killing a Bald Eagle

On Monday, March 26, in Springfield, Massachusetts the owner of a Sunderland trout hatchery pleaded guilty to killing osprey and herons that he found feeding at his fish pools.

The owner of the Mojawk Trout Hatchery, Michael Zak, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Zak, who is 59, was charged with two other charges, one of which is for allegations of shooting and killing a bald eagle. If convicted of all charges Zak could face up to three years in prison.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act states that all migratory birds and their parts, eggs, nests, and feathers, are fully protected. The act was established in 1918 to put an end to the trade in birds and their feathers and to reestablish healthy numbers in the birds' populations. In some circumstances a federal permit may be able to be obtained for relocation of listed species. A contractor, who specializes in wildlife relocation, after seeing the proper paperwork can trap and relocate an animal that a private property owner no longer wants on their land.

Last year along with his employee, Timothy Lloyd, Zak was charged with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A federal investigation reported that investigators found more than 250 great blue heron carcasses, along with carcasses of ospreys and even a bald eagle all on hatchery property. It was confirmed that the birds, including the bald eagle, were killed by gunshots.

Bald eagles, an endangered species, can live up to 50 years in the wild, typically they only live about 25 years old though. The bald eagle that was found in the federal investigation was estimated to be only 2½ years old. Great blue herons, ospreys and bald eagles feed primarily on fish. Thousands of trout were being raised in the hatchery raceways and there did not appear to be any protection from predatory birds.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents reported that they periodically staked out the hatchery and saw Lloyd shoot and kill an osprey and Zak shoot at a heron with a scoped rifle. On Friday, March 23, Lloyd who is 30 pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of violating the migratory bird act.

Wouldn't have aiming the gun away from the birds and firing have gotten rid of the birds all just as well without having to kill them. Perhaps if protection for the fish had been built in the first place hundreds of birds, including the endangered bald eagle, wouldn't have to have died.