Logging Cormorant Sightings

In autumn around 40,000 foreign cormorants (of the subspecies  Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) arrive from the continent and stay until spring fishing inland waters and adding to the lesser resident population. This migration is why you will see many more in the wintertime and each one needs about a kilo of fish, daily, to survive. Of course, they also  damage fish too, and so overall the impact can be very significant.

The Club does use deterrents to scare these birds away from time-to-time, and, in addition,  puts strings over Medleys at Edmondsham in winter to keep birds off. The Club also retains natural fish sanctuaries like areas of water lillies and partly submerged branches, and has experimented with cages with mesh that allows small fish to swim in but prevents cormorants getting in.

Importantly, annually the Club applies for a licence to control these birds. Critical to the successful submission of the licence application is evidencing the presence of the birds on all the Club’s waters.

Please scare off any cormorants you see, using whatever tactics are available to you. Waving your arms and shouting abuse are good! Using flashing umbrellas or a rattle or something else that makes a noise will also get them to move. It is important to then log the event using the Club’s website form. However, it is also important just to log sightings in any event. That electronic response  goes automatically to my inbox so I get the information forwarded to me to analyse and use in returns to Natural England; the organsiation responsible for issuing the licence

In addition to the data being used  for  renewal applications to control the birds, it is also important to receive up-to-date information to enable the Club’s shooting licencees to know where there have been recent sightings. The birds are difficult to shoot and quite often the safest thing to do, from a shooter’s perspective, is to to shoot to scare. The birds  will be deterred if there is regular disturbance.

So please remember to log the sightings and  help protect the Club’s fishstocks.

Mike Hirsh  

Chairman