Send me photographs of cormorants on the Tweed. Give me your name and address. Tell me where and when the photograph was taken. The best photograph taken in 2010 will win a prize of £100.00 and I will send on all the entries to the RTC and the Rural Directorate.
Why?
Because for every ten birds killed we save the equivalent in fish of the annual output of one hatchery..
The culprits
Three varieties of bird resident on the Tweed which seriously predate on salmon and trout, they are:
cormorants,
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/cormorant/index.aspx
mergansers:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redbreastedmerganser/index.aspx
and goosanders:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goosander/index.aspx
All are resident on the Tweed although the RSPB claim cormorants are only resident inland in the winter.
They ignore the fact that there are different species of cormorant one of which, Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis, is fully acclimatised to freshwater and is an introduced species.
The RSPB say: "Regarded by some as black, sinister and greedy, cormorants are supreme fishers which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past." This statement is founded on the illogical presumption that the birds are more important than the fish stocks on which they predate and maim.
They say that there are 9,000 breeding pairs in the Uk and 24,000 overwintering birds and that the UK has an important wintering population.
The Tweed has very important populations too - dwindling stocks of fish.
How many fish?
Estimates vary between 5 and 20 fish a bird a day in the case of cormorants.
How many Cormorants feed in the Tweed?
Since the days when you could be paid a bounty to kill a cormorant the numbers have exploded. I have one report from a Tweed Commissioner that a flock of 70 were seen at Coldstream. 20 in a flock is reported every now and then and 15 regularly.
The damage
It does not take a genius to work out that if one cormorant eats 10 fish a day a flock of ten cormorants will eat 700 a week, 36,400 fish a year.
What are the RTC/Tweed Foundation doing about it?
They apply for a license to kill cormorants and the sawbill ducks. Their license this year was to kill a grand total of EIGHT (I repeat EIGHT) in 2010 over the whole of the 250 mile catchment.
The RTC only applied to shoot 15 (FIFTEEN) and apparently that was described as a cull.
Unbelievably, the count used to be done in conjunction with the RSPB.
How did they manage to persuade the Scottish Rural directorate to decimate the Tweed's cormorant population in 2010?
No idea - you will have to ask them but you will be privileged if you get an answer.
A clue might lie in Dr Campbell's blog. Have a look at the blog for these dates:
3rd of March 2010 " Drafting replies to criticisms made by various government agencies and advisors of the RTC's licence applications for predatory bird control"
4th of March: " Rest of the day on the reply to the criticisms made of the RTC's bird control licence application".
5th of March: " finish off the draft reply to the RTC's application for bird control licences"
8th March: "Having had some good ideas over the weekend, revise the draft reply to the RTC's licence application and pass it on."
Here is the link: http://news.rivertweed.org.uk/blog/_archives/2010/3/1/4469352.html
Foundation, can we have an explnation?
What can you do about it?
It is free and simple to make your own license application. Do not rely on them. Do not risk being prosecuted for shooting without a license.
If you want help post a comment or use this contact information:
Rural Directorate
Landscape and Habitats Division
Species Management Team
1-A North
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
Tel 0131 244 6549 Fax 0131 244 4071
Email specieslicensing@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
There are strong views about cormorants. Have a look at these sites:
http://www.cormorantbusters.co.uk/
"This Salmon Parr was caught in the Hants Avon in December 2001. I have placed its photo here to demonstrate the fact that these endangered fish are of a size that cormorants could easily and do catch. These little fish are supposed to grow larger in the river for four years! During which time they are not supposed to meet a cormorant.
I have had an e-mail from a person that claims cormorants do not catch these little salmon, If these fish become extinct then it will not be the fault of the cormorants it will be the fault of people such as him."
http://www.intercafeproject.net/docs/cormorants%20in%20Ringkobing.doc
http://www.salmon-trout.org/pdf/Cormorants_Facts_March_06.pdf
Here is a starter. The picture is a tad dark but I can count at least forty in this roost.
So RTC what are we going to do? Suggestion. Get all the owners to start organising some scaring. Get the bailiffs involved. Get your act together as to the license. Get some bird scaring aids near known roosts. Get a student to research something that will make a difference - cormorant deterrents etc.
15 comments:
What is a good photograph of a cormorant?
There will be two categories. Photographs of dead birds and photographs of the biggest flocks.
Did you see what it said on the cormorantbuster site?
"There are massive efforts going on to try to save the genetic strain of River Test salmon and is it so surprising that the majority of the tags from the released young smolts are found in the shit underneath the trees where the cormorants stop?"
Is that where the Foundation's new researcher will be spending his time? Looking for £300 acoustic tags in piles of cormorant droppings?
On the Gooseander and Cormorant shooting surely its the government that decides how many can be shot each year after taking advice from R.S.P.B and other experts and they then issue a licence based on that.
21 April 2010 08:37
Dear Grant,
Applications for licenses are submitted to the (Scottish) Rural Directorate.
The Directorate then take views from Fisheries Research Services (FRS), the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA), and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) but not the RSPB.
Sorry to be pedantic but I was not sure if you were making a point and if so what it is.
Not making a point just thought it was government that issued licences but as you point out there seems to be a lot of bodies that have to be satisfied that numbers are unacceptable, so how you do get a licence to shoot more than is allowed at present?
The questions I would like to be answered (by the Foundation/RTC) include:
What are your measuring techniques?
Why was your application criticised?
Which stretches of the river did you monitor?
At what time of day did you monitor the cormorants/goosanders?
Do you accept that numbers are increasing and that the population levels are now unacceptable?
What is the logic of shooting only eight birds given the numbers on the river?
To whom have you given permission to shoot/scare fish eating birds?
Given your statutory duty to protect the fish stocks what efforts are being made to deter fish eaters which can legitimately be done throughout the season?
What research is being done on deterrents?
Why is deterrence not co-ordinated throughout the catchment?
etc.
If Head Office would grace us with their answers I might be able to answer your question.
I saw two Ospreys today reckon we should get them sorted out as well when we are at it, and those bloody Kingfishers are all over the place lets get stuck into them! This time of year the male Gooseanders always get into packs the ducks are nesting somewhere so the boys are left to play, so birds from a large area form up into a flock which makes you think that there must be 1000s on the area but apart from that one flock you might not see any for miles. And if they will not issue a licence for more birds to be culled what do you do? Ask the Boatmen to shoot them illegally then what happens if someone gets caught shooting them. I do agree they need to be controlled.
At the moment RTC are trying to improve trout and salmon stock by habitat improvement on spawning streams. A total waste of time in my opinion if the progeny of this work is going to be eaten by the hoards of winged vermin now found on small streams such as Leet Water or the upper Whiteadder. Anglers have all to long rolled over to have their bellies scratched by public opinion, an opinion much influenced by the vested interests of the RSPB. Lets look after our own interests and demand a meaningful cull of these birds which do have no usefull function other than producing loads of expensive fertiliser.
shotgunner
Dear Grant,
You had a busy day bird and fish spotting.
I am pleased about the Kingfishers, I thought the bad winter might have them.
So if there are 63 cormorants in a flock and they are all boy cormorants there must be another 63 girls (total so far 126 - unless some boys are very lucky and have more than one girl) so how far do you boys and girls at the Foundation say is "miles" before I could see another 60 plus males in a lads flock? The total catchment is around 250 miles long is it not?
Not Cormorants, Gooseanders, A lot of them are immature males last years birds and not breeding so they will not all have wives sitting on eggs, and I don't think there will be many packs of 70/80 birds on Tweed possibly only one. After saying that I would be happy to see none! And I'm not from the foundation by the way!
expagNo Tweed Foundation Stand at this years Kelso Angling Fair? I ask Mr. Douglas Home, he who was in his words was "fireing bullets at all and everyone" in his 2009 chairmans report. Keeping your head down now? Lots of flack coming your way? Oh dear- how the mighty have fallen!
Grant- your comments as usual, are futile if not foolish. With your niggling negative nonsensicle attitude, i would suggest you (if not already) get on the Payroll at Drygrange. Your C.V. per this Blog is perfect to support the Spin and Piffle that pours from Tweed Foundation in recent times. There are Bloggs out there for Sock Knitting and Quilt Sowing. Not that iwould dare suggest you Mmm.
Thank you for the advice Molecatcher I could do with some new socks, What would you do to improve the Tweed ? If your going to criticise at least make it constructive that way its far more interesting than just opening your mouth without your brain being in gear!
Grant - you are such a sweetie when you get annoyed. Fancy going up the pub for half a Babycham ? Coming your way soon. I will give this Blog my views on how we can help this river, at the moment i am busy not catching fish(clue) As for now , remember, knit one purle one!
Post a Comment