from the Moran Committee Joint Bird Group

Goosanders & Mergansers THE FACTS.  Download here.

For well over a decade, the subject of bird predation on inland fisheries has been a major issue for fisheries and angling interests. The principal concerns have arisen as a result of the sharp rise in the number of cormorants at inland waterbodies in some parts of England and Wales, where they are attracted to feed at freshwater fishery sites, particularly during the winter months.

Moran Committee Joint Bird Group
The Moran Committee was set up in 1997 to provide a co-ordinated platform of organisations to address angling and fisheries issues. The Committee has recently forged links with other nature conservation groups such as the Environment Agency, English Nature and the RSPB in order to identify common ground on the bird predation issue and to ensure that a reasonable balance is struck between the need to conserve both fish and birds. The Group has also established a useful dialogue with Defra and CEFAS.

cormorants.info
This website and the booklet Protecting your Fishery from Cormorants does not provide the definitive word on deterrents and there are other techniques that might reduce the impact of cormorants. There is ongoing research in the UK, Europe and North America which is likely to provide new information. With that in mind, this website will be expanded and updated as new information and advice becomes available. Although this site concentrates on protecting a fishery from cormorants, many of the management techniques described will be applicable to other fish-eating birds, such as herons and sawbill ducks.

Feedback
We would appreciate your views and would welcome feedback and comments from angling groups, fishery managers and riparian owners with first-hand experience of using different management options and, with permission, we will publish these on the site.