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Angling's greatest enemy?


Guest darrell.cook

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Guest Leon Roskilly
Originally posted by Leon Roskilly:

But these aren't (for the most part) familiar British coastal cormorants, come inland from the sea, but probably a sub-species from southern Europe (which usually feeds inland!)

 

I remembered this discussion over on uk.rec.fishing.coarse a little while ago:

 

 

Search Result 1

From: Tony Willis (kbn73@dial.pipex.com)

Subject: Re: Cormorants - the black plague.

Newsgroups: uk.rec.fishing.coarse, uk.rec.fishing.game

View complete thread (14 articles)

Date: 1997/06/04

 

In article <LE4MpBAFr0kzEw0W@ynystawe.demon.co.uk>, Phil Jones

<pmj@ynystawe.demon.co.uk> wrote:

 

> snip

> "Two subspecies of the cormorant (Phalacrcorax carbo) occur in the

> British Isles and elsewhere in Europe. The race P. carbo carbo is

> primarily marine, breeding on rocky coasts from north-west France to

> northern Norway and the White Sea. The race P. carbo sinensis is

> concentrated from the western Baltic and central Europe eastwards,

> discontinuously, to China and Japan. It inhabits mainly freshwaters and

> nests in trees." snip

> "At present, about 7,200 pairs of the race carbo breed in the UK, and at

> least 19,000 birds overwinter, of which ~6,000 do so on inland waters.

> A further 4,700 pairs breed in Ireland and some of these overwinter in

> the UK."

>

> snip Average increases vary

> from 12.6% per annum for estuaries to 24.8% per annum for gravel pits.

> The increase in wintering numbers is, in part at least, due to the

> immigration of sinensis. It is thought that cormorants have not fully

> utilised the winter carrying capacity offered by freshwater sites in UK

> and that further increases are likely to occur..."

> snip

 

 

Thanks, Phil;

it makes sense of what anglers have been saying albeit for the wrong

reasons. An article in todays AT alludes to the same point that there are

two species (or subspecies - don't matter) and it is the immigration of

phalacrocorax carbo sinensis that is causing the problem not the native

P.carbo carbo. The article also says that EU has lifted the protected

species label from the cormorant and has left it to individual nations to

decide their own legislation. With the evidence that Phil has given us an

excellent synopsis of, it is possible that the government will now see

that it is possible to shoot the *inland* birds in summer (important

seemingly from the above) with a very good likelyhood that you will be

shooting the immigrant sinensis subspecies and not the native marine

subspecies carbo.

I do not condone the shooting of protected birds, nor have I ever done so,

but I do know of some fisheries that have been resurrected recently due to

the persistent activity of *pigeon* shooters around their lakes. It does

work even though it is illegal and would work much better if done in a

controlled and legal way.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

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Guest trent.barbeler

To All,

 

As you will already be aware, this problem is one very close to my heart.

 

Cormorants have been and are, a very serious threat to the WILD fish stocks on the River Trent and to WILD fish stocks on the many still waters along the Trent Valley.

 

Although Leon has made some valid points, he is quite wrong in assuming that these cormorants are mostly made up of the European or Continental race. Infact, from my studies, the mainstay of Trent Valley cormorant populations are made up of our own native Phalacrocorax carbo.

 

Also, unfortunately, these birds DO successfully breed in tree situated colonies all along the river sometimes within the same sites that herons use.

 

These are not just a collection of a few pairing birds. Literally, there are hundreds and hundreds of successfully breeding pairs of cormorants right along the River Trent.

 

So then, whats to be done. Well, to start with, I have no time whatsoever for the "lets shoot um" brigade. Such talk gets none of us anywhere and serves to alienate the angling world from the ornithologist groups.

 

It is only by forming a partnership with the ornithologist groups that any progress will be made with regards to this issue.

 

Take my word for it, inland cormorants have always been around but not in the high numbers some of us are seeing now and therein lies our problem.

 

Also, because of the abnormal numbers of inland cormorants in some area's, the ultimate substainability for the species itself is under threat. Obviously, from a ornithologists point of view this is cause for concern.

 

If for example we have one or two harsh winters, the inland populations of cormorants because of their numbers could suffer greatly. Because of depleted offshore fish stocks, a return to the sea could prove useless.

 

Naturally, this cormorant problem could cure itself given the right conditions but at the same time we could all see a drastic reduction in the species numbers throughout our islands.

 

Sea anglers together with the NAA are seeking legislative changes to hopefully bring about a dramatic increace in the fish stocks off shore of our islands. Cormorants are only just one of the many bird species suffering because of depleted fish stocks.

 

Clearly, anglers and ornithologist's together have a vested interest in addressing all of these problems.

 

It is only when all the interested parties get together around the table that change will come. Not just changes from an angling point of view but important changes in attitude that will benefit the many species of wild birds as well.

 

This my friends is the future. Anglers and conservation groups working in partnership together striving constantly for a new way.

 

Together, we can make a difference.

Seperately, we will all just bumble along as before.

 

With possible climatic change on the way, certain off shore species of fish may disappear forever from our shores. In turn, this event could effect the many bird species that rely on the sea for their survival. Would these species then turn to inland waterways for their survival? Could our inland waterways support such an abnormal migration?

 

Do you see? The more one looks, the more complicated things can become. Clearly, we must face up to our changing world and start to face up to it now before it is to late. Culling cormorants may be necessary in some area's but believe me, it is only a small piece of a very large environmental picture facing us all as anglers. Sea and freshwater anglers alike.

 

None of this will be undertaken overnight. There is a lot of hard work to be done in the process but with determination, we WILL get there in the end.

 

Fortunately, The SAA, its rivers group and the NAA are already on the case. I make no apology for flying the SAA flag again because an aweful lot of work has already been undertaken regarding the cormorant issue and the issue of depleted off shore fish stocks. Yes, there is still much more to do but hopefully, will will get there.

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Guest phil hackett
Originally posted by trent.barbeler:

 

I couldn't agree more Lee, excellent piece Mate!

In forging that alliance with other conservation & environmental bodies we must look for effective non-lethal methods of control.

 

On that subject I hope to have some new information very soon!

 

Watch this space!

 

 

[This message has been edited by phil hackett (edited 11 June 2001).]

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