Pisces is dedicated to fish welfare and banning angling. - Stop the Slaughter of Cormorants!
 

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Stop the Slaughter of Cormorants!
Greedy anglers, not content with torturing and murdering fish, have
now set their sights on cormorants as well. They have launched a
campaign to have cormorants removed from the list of protected
species. This gives anglers a free hand to shoot cormorants so that
they don't interfere with their fishing.

Anglers say: "Cormorants are stealing 'our' fish".
All the cormorant is doing is feeding herself and her family while
anglers catch fish for the sheer pleasure of it. Surely cormorants'
survival should be put above the pleasure of anglers?

Anglers say: "Cormorants are ravaging fish stocks".
Yet the government currently issues licenses to kill fish-eating birds
where there is evidence of 'serious damage to fish stocks'. This is
not enough for blood-thirsty anglers who are obviously having trouble
proving such cormorant damage.

This is hardly surprising since there is no conclusive evidence that
cormorants do serious damage to fish stocks. In fact a study by W.
Sater (1995), on two rivers, found no evidence - despite predictions -
of lower fish stocks due to cormorants.
In another study commissioned by the National River Authority, it was
maintained that no serious damage by cormorants has been established.
The cormorant should not be used as a scape-goat when there are many
other possible factors that can affect fish numbers, like angling,
pollution, high-seas netting, acid rain and poaching.

Anglers say: "Cormorants are not native to inland waters where they
are doing the damage".
Cormorants have utilised inland waters in the UK for many years. The
numbers inland have been increased as the terrible carnage of our seas
by fishing people has driven cormorants further inland in search of
food. It is time that fishers took responsibility for the fact that
they have decimated fish numbers to the extent where they may never
recover.

The current calls by anglers for cormorants to have no protection are
ill-founded and unjustified. Mass killing of the bird is unacceptable,
if there is a problem the answer must be non-destructive methods that
will also work in the long term.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Write to following, explaining why you are against the proposed
cull of cormorants and asking them not to remove the cormorants
protected status.
John Gummer, Department of the Environment, 2 Marsham St, London
SW1P 3EB.
Ritt Bjerregaard, Member of Cabinet, Euro Commission, Brussels,
Belgium.

2. E-mail us for a petition to complete (Deadline 9th June '97) and
we will send it by return post.

3. E-mail us for copies of this leaflet. (indicate quantity
required, 100/£1.50, 500/£6)

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