New anti-letter that will no doubt crop up elsewhere

This appeared in the Grimsby Telegraph on 3.9.05

WHY THE NEED TO KILL?
12:30 - 03 September 2005
The Government has granted 3,000 licences (an increase from last year) to kill cormorants at fisheries and lakes.
Yet again our wildlife has to suffer as a result of a human leisure activity that not only directly kills animals as a pastime but kills and injures many more in its wake. Anglers stock lakes and reservoirs with fish.
They become an easy source of food for coastal dwelling cormorants, which - as a result of over-fishing - have been moving inland.
Anglers then complain when the birds eat the fish for their survival.
The cormorant is, in fact, a protected species as the UK is home to internationally important wintering flocks.
Fishery managers and owners are, nonetheless, granted licences to shoot a limited number to stop them eating the fish destined to be hooked by anglers.
The Moran Joint Bird Group, a partnership of fisheries, angling and conservation organisations, admits that "removing cormorants is a never-ending task, as culling simply creates space for other birds from surrounding areas to move into".
Why do some people feel the need to kill what little natural wildlife we have left in this country?
Kelly Slade, Campaigns Officer, Animal Aid.
http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/disp...yContent&sourceNode=151455&contentPK=13125195

Dave have you written into back into the telegraph?

Does the grimesby telegraph have a fishing section because I know the Scunthorpe one does. If so then you should be able to write in defending fishing and I would immagine they would print your letter. The person writing the letter obviously isnt stupid as she knows that its over fishing in the sea which means comorants are moving inland so why isnt she complaining about that? Since its the grimesby telegraph then maybe she makes a living from the fish trade. If so how hypocritical is that!

Paul, she has written letters before and sent them to papers all round the country, I think she's from Kent somewhere if I remember correctly.

Her last rant was an ill informed general pop at fishing as a cruel sport.

I replied to that one published in the Notts Post amongst others.

<a href='http://www.fishingmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/3/UTN/15994/V/6/SP/' target=blank>here</a>

not again.....
try again,

here

I'd love to know what 'Internationally Important' means.

How does a cormorant qualify as Internationally Important and why?

Important to who? And why?

If 90 percent of them were shot tomorrow would the species become extinct as a result? No way!

If some folk had their way we'd all be dodging dinosaurs and pterodactyls on the way to work each morning.

Perhaps her organisation could decided to create a water to use as a fast food/B&B for these birds or are commersial venues just meant to continue feeding them?

Why don't the RSPB and Antis buy some still waters on there migration routes around the country and stock them with plenty of fish. The cormorants will soon find these safe havens and feed there than were they are being disturbed by us insensitive anglers.

But wait this will cost money and when was the last time they spent real money on anything worthwhile. No they would rather name places etc as "Internationally important" then we as tax payers can pay for it. Its time they spent there energies attacking the people who rape the sea's taking there natural food and not the guardians of the inland waterways as recognized by the government and others namely us anglers.

i don`t think the sole reason that inland waters have been invaded by cormorants is because we have raped the seas.our coastal waters are stuffed with undersized fish,especially in winter when the sprats arrive.if the sea was short of food,then surely we`d have gannets,puffins and other fish eating seabirds inland too.i think that it`s because they have been over protected and are over populated,resulting in a surplus of birds coming inland for easy pickings.
i agree that the sea is being over exploited by commercial fishing,but these invaders need controlling.i often wonder if the rspb and such,would defend the cormorant so much if kingfishers and herons started to face extinction due to starvation caused by cormorants eating all of the fish that they feed on.

" this will cost money " RSPB members pay ?35 (?) per year just to look into the sky and watch what we see for nowt. On the other hand they do want us to pay for the food that the birds eat so that they can continue looking in the sky etc. Good point Bryan.

Same for Madpiker. Why, if the seas are so depleted of fish stocks, are there no gannets, shags, and puffins on our inland waters? Good point again.

In fact, the RSPB have no good points whatsoever, just rantings. They were represented on the Moran Committee.

"i agree that the sea is being over exploited by commercial fishing,but these invaders need controlling.i often wonder if the rspb and such,would defend the cormorant so much if kingfishers and herons started to face extinction due to starvation caused by cormorants eating all of the fish that they feed on."

I think you'll find they are. Walthamstow reservoirs used to have europe's largest heronry but the cormorants have devastated the local stretches of the Lea, Coppermill Stream and many local lakes. The last time I was there the Island where the heronry was situated was covered by the black death and not a heron in sight. I have sent letters to the RSPB about this but never got the courtesy of a reply.

Someone needs to do a big expos? of all the cow-poo 'antis' talk, and make it publicly known. like a big documentary on tv or something.

Yeh, I know, it'll never happen )

i bet that if catfish,mink or pike etc were predating on one of their endangered feathered friends,the rspb would soon be calling for a cull of the culprits.
i believe that they once sanctioned a cull of the ruddy duck, as it was affecting another bird species welfare.