Wednesday August 31 2005 17:14 GMT
Thousands of cormorants face cull
Up to 3,000 sea-birds could be culled this winter, to keep them
away from fish in lakes and rivers in Britain.
Cormorants feast on fish, and for the second year running the
government has said fishermen can shoot them because they're coming
too far inland.
The RSBP accepts the birds are a big problem, but said the cull
threatens overall UK cormorant numbers.
But National Federation of Anglers said plans include bird-scaring
and fish shelters, not just shooting cormorants.
Recently the sea-birds have moved away from the coast and started
eating fish from rivers, lakes and canals.
This move has made them unpopular with anglers, who see the birds
as unwelcome competition.
And fish farms say the birds are pinching fish they want to catch
or have reared to sell.
Cull puts population 'at
risk'
A spokesperson for the RSPB said there are other ways of treating
the cormorant problem.
"Fish and cormorants have evolved together for millennia - if you
put a fish refuge in, the fish can hide and the problem can be
reduced."
He added that if the full 3,000 quota of birds were killed, the
cormorant population across England could be put at risk of
decline.
The RSPB also say the government may be breaking European rules on
protecting wild birds.
Last year 1,200 cormorants were killed in the cull.
