I stand corrected on the calcium issue Phil - I learn something new every day!
With regard to Lee's point that we and birdwatchers are not miles apart I disagree. STRONGLY!
We are active in creating and maintaining habitat, they are in the main passive.
We have breeding programmes. What to they have?
We aim to protect all fish - predator and prey alike, hybrids too. They are selective in their protection - ruddy ducks, crows, etc. Need I say more?
This is probably the first century in which man has actively tried to maintain the balance of nature and past history tells us our track record leaves is abysmal. Remember the buffalo, tiger, elephant, white rhino, dodo, passenger pidgeon to name but a few. Hunted to extinction or there abouts.
In return we've infested Australia with rabbits and carp. Brought the rabbit to England and caused mayhem for farmers - but didn't we do ourselves proud with mixymatosis? We've spread carp throughout every river and lake system in the US and Canada, allowed signal crayfish to travel the world in our ships and, well, I could go on.
Trouble is when you start something it has to be taken through to conclusion. The culling of a few cormorants is simply not enough.
And where were these tree-huggers when the lapwing all but vanished. Have you seen a skylark in recent years? And where are all the starlings?
No Lee, we ain't all singing off the same hymn sheet. The RSPB is no more and no less than another wing of the anti-angling and field sports brigade. Those who stand up and say, "I'm a member and I'm nothing like that!" are simply the flowers on a cactus. The RSPB is happy to allow, nay, it supports the piscine equivalent of a genocide. That is so wrong that I despise their stance and their organisation. I am NOT one of them.
Only now are they showing some concern because sea birds are starving to death. They want to end what they see as the rape of the seas yet they continue to fight for the rape of our freshwaters.
Hypocrits - every man, woman and child among them. If you are a member and cannot see this then sorry, you are no better than they are. You are one of THEM.
It's black and white, us or them. There's no room for fence sitters on this issue. Damn the lot of them!