The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife and Maryland Ornithological Society strongly favor eradication. The Humane Society and PETA say the problem can be handled by nonlethal means.
A 2001 task force recommended reducing the population to fewer than 500 birds, a plan that was blocked by lawsuits. A 2003 management plan didn't choose a number, but resulted in the killing of 1,500 birds.
Grandy, a waterfowl biologist, calls what the state is doing "scapegoating."
"Sailboats with rudders and boats with outboard motors pull up and destroy more aquatic vegetation than 450 mute swans in an entire year. That's the truth," he said.
Mute swans, native to Europe and Asia, are Maryland's largest bird. Adults have a wing span of nearly 7 feet and average 25 pounds. They are not completely silent: They hiss, snort or grunt if annoyed.
It all began with five birds that escaped from a Talbot County estate in 1962. At their peak a decade ago, there were about 4,000 birds, with a population that was projected to double every eight years.
After a spring push that killed 125 birds, state biologists estimate that fewer than 500 birds remain, living in the coves and tributaries of the bay. An unknown number live in the Virginia portion of the bay.
Reducing the population further will be harder, McKnight acknowledged. The birds move around and some nest on private property where owners have denied access.
Lamp said it was clear to him that the natural resources agency never intended to stop after he saw a PowerPoint presentation that showed where the birds lived and how the state was going to get them.
"It looked like a grid of bombs over Baghdad. I almost fell off my chair," he said. "There was never going to be a compromise."
Grandy said the public would be outraged if it knew more about the method used to kill swans: Birds are herded together and a device like a bolt cutter is used to crush their necks.
Lamp expects political fallout from the state's decision. A group, Maryland Votes for Animals, has been formed - the mute swans are the catalyst - with an eye toward next year's state elections.
"This will come back to haunt DNR," Lamp predicted. "People will remember this."
