Government non-committal on adding cormorants to the quarry list

The Government has stopped short of committing to add cormorants, goosanders and red-breasted mergansers to the list of birds that may be killed or taken outside the close season, in a formal response to a petition from the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation’s fisheries branch that passed 10,000 signatures within a fortnight. Defra says the proposals are being analysed alongside the rest of the responses to its Schedule 2.1 consultation.

What is the petition asking for?

The NGO Fisheries Branch launched the UK Parliament petition at the end of June. It asks the Government to amend Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to list cormorants, goosanders and red-breasted mergansers as species that may be managed outside the close season, which the branch says would enable proportionate, licensed control to protect inland fisheries and migratory fish populations where serious damage is evidenced.

Schedule 2.1 currently lists 19 wild bird species in England and Wales and 23 in Scotland, mainly ducks, geese and wading birds. All wild birds are protected under the Act; the schedule provides limited exemptions allowing listed species to be shot outside their close season.

What did Defra actually say?

The department’s response, published on 27 July, confirmed it consulted on proposed changes to Schedule 2.1 earlier this year and that the consultation closed in May. Ministers had largely agreed with the recommendations of an earlier review, including extending the close season for woodcock and removing pochard from the schedule.

On the three fish-eating species, Defra said: “The government did receive proposals to add cormorants, goosanders and red-breasted mergansers to Schedule 2.1 so they can be more easily controlled for the purpose of protecting inland fisheries and migratory fish populations. These proposals, and any evidence provided to support them, are now being analysed and considered together with the many other different suggestions from the public that the consultation elicited.”

The department added two caveats. Wildlife management is devolved, so any decision will apply only to England, with Scotland and Wales analysing responses to their own timelines. And it pointed out that the Act already provides licensing functions permitting control of piscivorous birds, most often cormorants, where non-lethal measures are shown to be failing.

How bad is the pressure on fish stocks?

The NGO says fish-eating bird numbers have risen sharply over recent decades while native fish stocks have gone the other way. It puts the proportion of principal salmon rivers in England now classified as at risk at around 90%, with declared catches at their lowest since records began, and argues that millions of pounds invested in river restoration is being undermined by predation.

Don Crutchfield, chairman of the NGO Fisheries Branch, said: “We are delighted that the petition has reached over 10,000 signatures so quickly which really shows the scale of the problem caused by predation on our fisheries. The government’s response was not unexpected: as usual they are not willing to commit to doing the right thing to protect fish stocks.”

He added: “We all agree that pollution and barriers are also factors in the decline of our fisheries, but predation is also key. It is the one issue we can address now to have an instant impact.”

What happens next

Defra has given no date for its decision on Schedule 2.1. A UK Parliament petition that reaches 100,000 signatures is considered for debate in Parliament, and the NGO is pushing for that threshold; the petition remains open on the Parliament petitions site.

In the meantime, control of cormorants and other piscivorous birds to protect fisheries continues to require an individual licence, granted where non-lethal measures can be shown to be failing.