Do something useful

[burnie]

Some of the comments are hilarious

"Whilst our waters are unattended the fish stocks will suffer due to cormorants"

Believe me a dozen Cormorants can devastate a fishery, I have seen it at first hand, Carp nearly 20 lbs in weight with huge beak damage on their backs, the bird had no hope in hell of eating it. One of the few wild rivers in England, the Derbyshire Wye has been decimated and the Dove. When I was a lad we saw the odd Cormorant in the winter, now they are breeding in Leicestershire, 90 miles from the nearest sea, now man has driven them there, wiping out the inshore sea fisheries, but the freshwater habitat hasn't evolved to take such predation. The destruction on small upper rivers by these birds has destroyed miles of rivers, the Wensum in Norfolk has sections that were electro fished and hardly a small fish to be found, areas with more bankside tree cover are full of fish, so it ain't pollution.

[ianmck]

I've never actually seen a cormorant. Plenty of shags, but no cormorants. So what are these anglers doing that requires their presence at waters to stop cormorants taking fish? Are they actually allowed to kill them?

[Laxdale]

I've never actually seen a cormorant. Plenty of shags, but no cormorants. So what are these anglers doing that requires their presence at waters to stop cormorants taking fish? Are they actually allowed to kill them?

The power of the RSPB means they are protected.
Just about everywhere else on the planet is blootering the feck out of them. I do think it is the stocked fisheries that took them from the sea in large numbers, as opposed to staying in the sea in the poor months with a goodly percentage dying. Now they head inland for a nice easy life.
I have videos I took in the Tolsta area of Lewis where 1000s of them gather every winter.

[fergie]

I'm sure I've read the cormorants we see in inland waters are a European invasive species of cormorant and not our own sea bird species. The power of the RSPB being you can't cull them incase they are a natural cormorant.  :roll:
And they certainly cause massive damage to fish stocks in rivers. They decimated stretches of the river Earn.

[Wildfisher]

Right so now we have got the  cormo-rants  out of the way, do you think we will get out fishing again anytime soon.   :lol:

[ianmck]

Sadly I think Boris will remain very much unmoved by the near 1500 fed up anglers.

[fergie]

I think once there is any loosening of the lock down it will be pretty difficult to stop.
As I said last week the lochs to the North of me are gettiing fished anyway.

[Wildfisher]

I think once there is any loosening of the lock down it will be pretty difficult to stop.

I agree. I think I detect the first cracks appearing and  patience wearing a bit thin.

[fergie]

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Maybe not getting fished right now though. 🤔

[Wildfisher]

Maybe not getting fished right now though. 🤔

Same every dry spring. Difference is they can't blame anglers and walkers this time. Why in the name of **** are keepers out burning  in these tinderbox conditions AND at a time when the consensus is we should be keeping pressure off the emergency services?