The Angling Trust, has launched a new web site for anglers to record sightings of cormorants, goosanders and mergansers throughout the UK: www.cormorantwatch.org
The new site is designed to gather vital data to help persuade Government of the need for action to protect fisheries and has been launched to coincide with the start of the coarse fishing season on rivers.
The Angling Trust succeeded in persuading the Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon to carry out a review of the licensing procedures and he has stated that he is prepared to take “bold decisions”. As part of this review, the Trust needs data on the abundance of cormorants to convince the government to take decisive action.
Anglers can record sightings and describe the activity of cormorants anywhere in the UK directly onto a Google Map at www.cormorantwatch.org and scroll around the map and zoom in to view details of each recorded sighting and watch the real picture of cormorant predation in UK waters build up week by week.
The Trust’s aim is to persuade DEFRA to simplify licensing procedures and allow greater controls on cormorant numbers. It is hoped that this data will also be factored into a wider pan European study on cormorants.
Angling Trust Chief executive Mark Lloyd commented: “This is a moment when anglers need to stand up and be counted. If people don’t record sightings of cormorants and other fish eating birds on this site, then the politicians and civil servants will not have the information they need to make decisions which could affect the future of fishing for the next generation. All anglers who see one of these birds in the next few months must make the effort to visit cormorantwatch.org and put a pin in the map, whether they are a member of the Angling Trust or not.”
Top fishery scientist Bruno Broughton said: “Anglers can play an important role by contributing to this survey. By building a nationwide picture of the distribution and behaviour of cormorants, these facts can be used to inform future efforts to protect vulnerable fisheries. It is futile to complain about the impact of cormorants without doing something about it.”
