Cormorant control measures rejected by Government

A FRESH bid to add cormorants to the General Shooting Licence has been rejected once again by Government.

The proposal to try to limit the devastating effect the birds are having on fisheries was submitted by the Angling Trust, the Avon Roach Project and other partners, who are seeking to add cormorants to thelicence alongside jackdaws, magpies and pigeons to afford fish stocks better protection from unsustainable levels of predation.

Cormorants numbers have recently skyrocketed and there are thought to be 30,000 overwintering in England each year, with each bird known to eat more than 1lb of fish each day.

A case for increasing the current cormorant control limit of 3,000 birds in any one year was submitted, but it was rejected by ministers.

“It’s extraordinary that ministers continue to deny the right to a reasonable level of protection of our vulnerable inland fish populations from a non-native visitor,”

said Trevor Harrop of the Avon Roach project.

Martin Salter, Head of Policy at the Angling Trust added:

“The Angling Trust will continue to make representations to Defra and the devolved administrations about the need to manage the impact fisheating birds have upon fisheries”

Cormorant numbers have risen sharply in the past few decades