Cull the Cormorant - A Petition to the Prime Minister

[jcp01]

After reading news of John Wilson's call for a cull of cormorants in this weeks angling rags I have decided to initiate an online petition to the Prime Minister for the cull of any cormorant caught more than five miles inland of the British coastline.

Introduction to e-petitions | Number10.gov.uk

Here is the substance of the petition to No10 ~

Title: Cull all cormorants found more than five miles inland of the British coastline

Detail: The cormorant has become a major threat to inland fisheries, all but wiping out silver fish stocks in many waters once teeming with these ecologically crucial species. They are currently consuming more of our silver fish stocks than Mother Nature and the Environment Agency combined, can ever hope to replenish.

We petition the Prime Minister to initiate a cull to allow our fisheries respite from this relentless predatory bird.

Duration: 6 months

If you agree with this move then promise to promote the petition and publicise it in any way you can. Remember we have a general election coming up and there are four million anglers out there whose vote may well be wavering and looking for a secure home...

If you have anything to add or subtract to my wording then please feel free to advise, it is very important that it comes across just so.

 

[peter crabtree]

Some sort of control is certainly necessary. My local canals ,lakes, rivers are virtually bereft of silver fish.. I am gutted. If cormorants ate songbirds at the same rate, they would almost certainly be culled. It's just that fish are not cuddly, and are invisible to Mr and Mrs J Public that nothing is done....

 

[Specihunter]

have you launched it yet

 

[stravic]

Yes I remember a call for tiggywinkle(Hedgehogs) to be culled on an island in the UK by a certain bird organisation because they were harming a bird population.They had no problem with calling for a cull when it suited them......I will sign the petition.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

You can get a licence now from Defra to shoot so many cormorants per year and in many cases the EA will support your application. The stumbling blocks are that you can't shoot within so many yards of a public highway or footpath and with many fisheries there is such a path very close by.

The AT can also help - IF you're a member.

 

[jcp01]

have you launched it yet

The petition will be launched at the end of the open season in one months time, on 15th March 2010.

 

[Specihunter]

cheers mate lets us know when you do

 

[Steve Spiller]

How many cormorants are allowed to be shot per year by a licence holder??? Not enough from what I've heard!

Bounce this one back to the top when it goes live Rufus, my name will be on it...

 

[Dave Bassett ACA]

A club that I'm involved with applied for a licence to cull. the water in question was only a couple of miles from an RSPB reserve, where 100's of cormorants roost in winter. So it was heavily visited by the "black death"
Result...licence granted, allowed us to shoot 2 cormorants per year (no shooting them between april-october) and this was only granted after we had submitted numerous logged sightings and had tried bird scarers,starting pistols etc.
Good luck Rufus. I'll certainly be signing your petition!!!!!!!!

 

[Tilman Bieselt]

We have a very similar problem in germany,

In our club we have stretch of a small stream in which we have reintroduced salmon and only these is the reason why we get a permission (after writing several applications to get a hunter who owns the permission for the grounds to shoot a few of the birds.

But this will scare only those birds that are hunting the stream. The colonies of these birds are protected and one "Wildlife Organization" is even protecting these birds ... And they have a strong lobby. They have elected the cormorant as "Bird of the year" ... Can you imagine that ?

 

[Nathan]

I live in Bucks and there's a family of cormorants i regularly see flying over the canal & 2 nearby lakes. Strangely enough since they've appeared a lot of the small silvers seem to have vanished. I wonder where they've gone.... :wh

 

[dryfly66]

The licence I was shown last year didn't allow for the use of centre-fire rifles at all. These would take them out at 300 yards easily and humanely.

Shotguns on Cormorants aren't effective at much over 35 or 40 yards. They are tough birds and a wounded cormorant will often "duck" the muzzle flash of the shotgun blast meant to finish him off.
Bird watchers would soon call in the RSPCA alleging 'cruelty' and they would have a point.

 

[Steve Spiller]

2 per year is ridiculous!!!

"Bird of the year" more like "fish killing bird of the year"

 

[peter crabtree]

crossbows are nice and quiet....

 

[Neneman Nick]

I wonder if Bill Oddie will sign it ???

 

[jcp01]

Thanks for the support everybody. John Wilson's article is in the Angling Times, have you read it?

The vote on gofishing is overwhelmingly in favour of John Wilson and his call for a cull with 96% of voters in favour. Total votes cast so far is 120 with the poll open for (presumably) four days so far.

If anyone has not received replies to PM's then it's because my sent box says 'nothing sent' no matter what I do, so I cant tell whether or not my replies ever went out.

 

[S-Kippy]

Well I'll happily shoot my two and sod the licence.They look like crows to me.

 

[flightliner]

Well I'll happily shoot my two and sod the licence.They look like crows to me.

s-kippy-- i know a guy who cant count!! I wonder if he would be granted a licence?

 

[S-Kippy]

I cant count either...but I'm a good shot and do a very plausible "oops...sorry".I could not possibly condone breaking the law but if every angler who cared took two out it would make a big hole in the problem.

Do you need a licence to shoot cormorant nests...er I mean bundles of sticks in trees ?:wh