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MartinHarper

The dust has barely settled over Buzzardgate, but here we are again: another call on the Government to permit the widespread destruction of not just one this time, but two of our native bird species. 

It’s not pheasant shoots this time, but angling.  The Angling Trust has got together with its friends at the Countryside Alliance, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and a few others to urge the Minister, Richard Benyon, to add cormorants and goosanders to the general licence (which would allow unlimited killing of these birds). They say this is necessary to protect fish stocks.

I’ve blogged previously on the many reasons why this proposal – like that on buzzards – is…well…just plain wrong (read it here) so I won’t repeat myself.  But it surprises me that this band of organisations is apparently so unconcerned about landing the Minister in hot water again.

I’d like to think that, within Defra, lessons have been learned from buzzards – if not, I would certainly advise that they are, and quickly.  Cormorants and goosanders may not be as familiar to people as buzzards, but that doesn’t mean that they are any less valued as part of our native wildlife. 

It is remarkable that this debate appears to have reopened at a time when political leaders have converged in Rio to determine how to save the planet and help us live within our environmental means.  I am not sure Defra ministers will want the first post-Rio action to involve sanctioning unlimited killing of two native species. The public won’t stand for their unrestricted destruction, and neither will we.

  • Do not think all commercial fisheries are after this as we have a fishery near us of about 6 large lakes for anglers and I doubt he is bothered as although there are lots of Cormorants in this area he probably keeps them away by some method,probably the anglers themselves and he probably lets his gun off to scare them away.

  • Yes indeed, well said Martin, this situation has many similarities to Buzzardgate, in so far as when millions of non native pheasants are deliberately released into the countrside it is hardly surprising that just a very few are taken by buzzards and when, I am sure, a similar number of fish are also released into the environment for commercial/sport fishing it is also not surprising a few are taken by cormorants and goosanders.   It is just amazing that, as soon as the lucrative commercial interests of just a relatively few people perceive the slightest threat to their activities that their response is to "lash out" and kill any natural wildlife that ordinary people like to watch. It is not their wildlife to kill, it is everone's wildlife which the great majority cherish.