Since Saskatchewan contained almost half of Canada's breeding population, the RSM proposed that access to nesting islands be restricted from April 15-September 15, that there be a buffer zone free from vehicles and airplanes around nesting areas, and that newly established colonies be designated as wildlife refuges. The Department of Tourism and Renewable Resources (Saskatchewan Environment today) approved and legislated these recommendations, which met with great success! In 1987, the White Pelican was the first species to be removed from the threatened species list by COSEWIC. The RSM continued to survey populations until 1991.

In the late 1970s, fishermen were blaming the Double-crested Cormorant for an apparent decline in trout populations in the creeks of southwestern Saskatchewan. During the summers of 1979-1980, the RSM set out to determine exactly what fish species the cormorants ate, and whether there was any legitimacy to these claims. The study was focused on a colony located at Cypress Lake in southwest Saskatchewan. Regurgitated food samples from both the young and adults were collected and analyzed for the species eaten and the quantities consumed. The study showed that in fact, the cormorants fed mainly on non-game fish, such as Brook Sticklebacks (Culaea inconstans), Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas), and White Suckers (Catostomus commersoni).