Re: National Federation of anglers call for cull of Cormorants!

This is about protecting BIRDS!!!

So you keep shouting. Now back up your words with evidence. Is that too much to ask ? Don't just scream at me , convince me. I'm more than willing to be convinced , in fact I'd love to be convinced. I hate unnecessary killing.

Wrong thread for arguing the case about Canada Geese. My statements were just as much about Cormorants as Geese.

There is a petition in the local anglers tackle shop in Chard Somerset. We have had up to 55 Comorants on our Nature Reserve which is owned by the District council. I have been assured that the SDDC will never cull any birds on our reserve under any circumstances. It will never happen the ranger told me.

My views on culling wildlife because it inconveniences somebody's hobby are well documented elsewhere so there's no need to repeat them here. Culling is sometimes justified to remedy humankind's all too frequent cock-ups (for example where we have introduced a non-native species that displaces other indigenous ones, or where we have removed predators to such a degree that a prey species gets so numerous that it becomes a clear and present danger to other species or habitat, or gets disease ridden).

The rise of the Cormorant seems to be down to natural colonisation of a space offering an easy living (like Lesser black backed gulls in cities). The fish are manifestly plentiful enough to sustain this big Cormorant population (at the moment anyway). Until proper verifiable evidence emerges that other species are at risk from high Cormorant numbers I cannot accept the need for a large scale cull. Alternative non-lethal solutions exist to local problems.

My own critisms and observations on anglers behaviour was posted on my own website. I was told to remove them althought all the items were true or stop working as a volunteer ranger.

So a voice has been silenced because money talks.

Hi all, just a heads up first of all to say that I may be removing some comments from this thread in order to keep it on topic, if any of you wish to discuss issues surrounding other species then please start a seperate thread to do so.

The recent media stories surrounding cormorants give the impression that the angling community on the whole is against these native birds. However, we have had a number of calls, letters and emails from anglers who just don't feel the same. Ultimately cormorants are a native bird to the UK, both inland and coastal, and we should accept that they have an integral part to play in the eco-system like other aquatic predators such as sawbill ducks, otters, kingfishers and herons.

Some facts about cormorants can be found here, note that information about the history of them with regards to their distribution inland as well as along the coasts. Note also that under current licensing criteria those fishery owners who have real concerns and who are suffering severe losses as a result of cormorant predation can apply for control licenses. These are a last resort and should only be granted if the non-lethal measures such as bird scarers and the provision of fish shelters do not address the problem.

The RSPB will be involved in these discussions and we will be fighting the cormorants corner. We do support a significant population of Europes wintering cormorants which we should be proud of as a nation

Ian surprised you did not remove it altogether as Merlin set out to cause upset on the thread which he seems to admit and even glory in,sad part of forum.

Lets not forget that these fish farms that he hates do lots of wildlife friendly things even feeding L G Ospreys.We have a commercial fishery for anglers on our doorstep and they definitely do more good than harm for wildlife.    

I think the real threat to fish stocks in England and Wales is through the effects of sillage effluent stripping the water of oxygen, this is particularly devastating when a heavy downpour allows effluent to destroy newly spawned schools of fish, tighter measures need to be put in place to limit these effect of this as they have in Scotland. This may be the true culprit behind dwindling fish stocks, not just cormorant feeding. please investigate this and try and raise awareness.

Just out of curiosity KatTai, you said, "heron populations have been recorded for about 100 years and are on the INCREASE not decrease!". I'm not convinced that's the case in this part of the country. The only BTO survey I've found so far this morning is this, which confirms my suspicion of a decline in the last decade or so. www.bto.org/.../results"

Your link contains an error. Which survey are you referring to?

Thanks in advance.

Rob

"The latest Grey Heron population trends from the Heronries Census are discussed on the Grey Heron page in the BTO's Birdtrends report. The modelled annual population estimates for the UK, now spanning more than 80 years, show a long-term increase. We think there may be several contributory factors to this, including improvements in water quality, a reduction in persecution and an increase in suitable nesting and feeding sites as gravel pits have been flooded and restored."

Robbo, This is a copy from BTO Heronry Census page.  That might help answer the question.

Robbo, Bob has the right link.  Don't know what happened with the link I posted!