MPs Briefed On Angling Trust Cormorant Report Highlighting The Case For Better Controls To Protect Our Fisheries

[Anglers' Net]

News from the Angling Trust

 

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[barry luxton]

as the trust has taken such a detailed report to parliament, it would be of benifit to anglers if the trust could pass the detailed information of mass europeon inland cormorant clusters, for example. Anglers are only aware of areas that cormorants are missing from, like the avon middle reaches as according to mr salter all the fish have been cleared out in any event. Locally the river medway is an example to myself, i have often gone looking for these clusters of europeon inland cormorants yet see very little evidence.

 

As the trust are calling for these cormorants to be killed, when the backlash comes from the likes of the wildlife trusts and bird protection societies it would be good for the anglers to see the hard FACTS of justification for these bird kills. This evidence would also need to include devestation of particular fish stocks.

 

The eel eating story, are the trust implying that this is the cause of the stock depleting by 98% or are they implying that the cormorant flocks are still clearing out upto 40 tonnes per year, following the devestation of the stock. It can be one or the other. Something smells on that one. Anecdotal hype?

 

Tounge in cheek posting yet i already know that there won't be anything produced by the trust to back up thier wild claims apart from anecdotal fishermen tales.

[gozzer]

Ah, the "Document of Destruction". If the numbers stated are correct, then I would think that they aren't spread evenly across the country, but there are 'hot spots' where the density is greater than other areas. I would like to see the results of a study into where these 'hot spots' are, and the numbers and proximity of overstocked commercials. It seems strange to me that the mentioned 15 fold increase in bird numbers over a 20yrs period, coincides with a massive increase in certain fish numbers, (much more than 15 fold), in these waters, over a similar period.

John.

[Worms]

And it's unfortunate that the report provides anecdotal evidence and no facts...hardly good science on which to base a cull. I KNOW that the report is inaccurate because I entered several inaccurate reports on it myself...none of them queried either!

[barry luxton]

this cormorant watch thingy the trust got upto, did they ask for the reportees to provide details of what bird, specis, sub specis as for all the trust knows all of the birds spotted could be carbo or sinensis, or either or some of each or a lot of each. To put another spanner in the trusts works, was any of the sightings of the europeon shag by any chance. Or is the idea to kill all birds, just in case, no matter what specis or sub specis? I understand for example one sub specis is quite rare in the north. I won't come out with what one as the trust will obviously know what sub specis i'm talking about, won't they?

 

it appears that during the radio presentation by mr salter the other week, there is a definate split betwen who is what, because it was made quite clear that it's the europeon specis in flocks of 200 that are causing the decimation, any photographic evidence they have i have to ask? On a dedicated bird web site even they have difficulty in determaning what is what and as for seeing flocks of them that is quite a rare occurance, the ones that i have looked at have been on the coast and have been sinensis or is it carbo.