The best source of information on the population status of Pelagic Cormorant is the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), as it has high precision in its trends, although it only samples an intermediate proportion of the population. CBC data indicate a moderate long-term decrease in abundance relative to the early 1970s, with most of the decline occurring in the 1990s. The population is currently just over 25% lower than in the 1970s. The British Columbia Coastal Waterbird Survey shows little change since the late 1990s, which is consistent with the CBC data. Also consistent with the CBC, declines in breeding populations were observed in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, between 1987 and 2000 (Chatwin et al., 2002 in Hobson, 2013).

The goal for Pelagic Cormorant is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1970s, based on the Christmas Bird Count. Trend data show that Pelagic Cormorant is currently below its goal range and continuing to decline. Despite this, analysis of recent trends and potential growth rates suggests that Pelagic Cormorant could reach its population goal by 2050, but only if timely conservation action is taken.