Shocking true cost of cormorant predation in European waters revealed

Cormorants are costing recreational fishing clubs across Europe €100 million a year in lost stocked fish.

In addition, the first ever conference on ways to reduce the predation impacts on fisheries heard that it is estimated that the costs of cormorants to aquaculture and fisheries in Europe were more than €350m per year in 2023 and 2024.

The Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in cooperation with the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC), hosted the conference earlier this month in Brussels attended by the European Anglers Alliance (EAA).

Delegates were told that the great cormorant was initially a conservation success story and experienced exponential growth from the 1980s following its protection under the EU Birds Directive. Today – with over 1.5m birds across Europe – the species exerts considerable predation pressure on aquatic ecosystems.

Dr Raymon VanAnrooy (EIFAAC) said: “Recreational fishing organisations are widely acknowledged as providing stewardship to the nature resources under their management. Many of these bodies have reported that river restoration to maintain and rehabilitate aquatic biodiversity is failing because of the predation of fish by cormorants.

“The level of predation by cormorants has now reached the point where fishing organisations can no longer bear the costs of restocking. Reduced catches by fishermen lead to less participation and reduced income for angling clubs, rural communities and consequently less expenses and efforts towards the stewardship of the inland aquatic resources.

“Loss of members, tourists and reduction in licence fee income for recreational and commercial fishing are negative effects associated with the high level of cormorant predation.”

In order to ensure a good balance between the interest of anglers and the conservation of birds, fish and biodiversity, the EAA has underlined its support for a pan-European management plan for the cormorants and demanded an improved system for the collection of scientific data.

At the end of the meeting Dr Ian Cowx, representing the UK’s Angling Trust and Hull University, introduced a second draft of the framework towards the development of a European Management Plan for the Great Cormorant.

The framework represents a roadmap for mitigating the negative effects of cormorants on fish biodiversity and inland and coastal fisheries across Europe.