Shooting Cormorants and Goosanders

There's no argument that breeding Cormorant numbers in Britain DID rise in the past but, as has been pointed out, numbers are no longer growing (let alone exponentially, which has a very precise mathematical meaning), but are falling. The report I showed you indicates a 7% fall since the year 2000 - this is determined from very intensive survey work covering the whole of Britain. If you want to refute this finding, let's see your evidence. Ditto evidence that Cormorants are having the impact that you describe on fish populations.

Mr Fishing, you lengthy displays of ignorance amuse me. Your assertions that cormorants are destroying fish populations shows a complete lack of understanding of simple ecology, as predator numbers are determined by the amount of prey, rather than vice-versa. Consider why lions do not exterminate zebras or why cormorants did not exterminate all sea fish. Also, your attempt to suggest that we care only about birds rather than fish while you care completely about fish is somewhat odd considering that your pastime involves lacerating the mouths of fish using a metal hook... As a wildlife protection organisation we care about all wildlife, but this is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds after all, so of course we speak out most strongly when birds are under threat. If you could provide actual proof that cormorants and other fish eating birds are damaging aquatic ecosystems (your own observations of fish declines do not constitute proof as this could easily be caused by other factors, eg pollution) then perhaps we change our opinions, but unless you can provide this proof we will not support you. Just for the record, this debate is not about whether fish have the same rights as birds or whether vegitarianism is right or wrong, it is simply about the conservation status of one of our native birds. If the killing of large numbers of cormorants is legalized then this will not control their population, it will cause a decline in their population, and since we work hard to maintain healthy wildlife populations we of course speak out against that. We also understand why you are concerned, but we suggest that you do some research into the subject, only reading non-biased scientific papers rather than the opinions of other frustrated anglers, and come back either with a better idea of the subject of legitamate proof that these birds have caused fish numbers to fall.

As the title of this thread records Cormorants AND Goosanders where do the latter come into the equation, very little has been mentioned regarding the Goosander

The problem here Mr Fishing is that you have a credibility gap, and every time you post it just seems to get wider.

The problem is these birds are emptying canals and rivers all across the country - they are clever and work together and decimate lakes and rivers that are left unprotected.

So you keep saying, but which rivers and canals exactly have been emptied of fish by cormorants?

OK then - why do we need to have this bird on the protected list if there are now substantial numbers?

That's a non-question. Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Robins and Wrens  are protected and they are far more numerous than cormorants.

Nobody on here will broach the real question - why does a fish not have the same rights as a bird?

Pardon my mirth, but if fish were afforded the same level of protection as, say, a Pied Wagtail anyone caught dragging one out of its natural habitat having inflicted an injury on it with a sharp hook would be up before the Magistrates. You've got a point though. I believe that a fish should have every right not to be molested in this way. Actually that's not entirely true - I'm quite partial to a grilled trout....