Thursday 26 March 2015

Updated Cormorant proposals

Sorry, yet another Cormorants post! I've been forwarded these updated, more formal proposals for reducing Cormorant predation at the lakes, which look to be final. I'm generally happy with these, except for the "immediate use" of active scaring, suggesting it could be done during the breeding season, so will seek clarification on this.

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Earlswood Lakes Cormorant Predation Proposal


Reduce perching locations for cormorants:

  • Removal of tree limbs from the two trees either end of the narrow island (closest to Engine pool) on Terry’s pool. (Time scale 3 months subject to nesting birds)
  • Installation fabric meshing to wooden posts surrounding the narrow island (closest to Engine pool). This should both discourage perching and also allow for natural reeds to establish behind. (Time scale 3 months subject to nesting birds)
  • Perimeter fencing on floating islands on Engine pool (see habitat improvements)
  • Remove Tern raft from terry’s pool (see habitat improvements)

Active scaring of cormorants:

  • Stop the action of using a metal bar to rap on tree trunks and fishing stages. (Time scale immediate)
  • Permit the use of an instrument such as two pieces of wood that can be rapped together to create a cracking sound to disturb visible and active cormorants. Open to options, possible football rattle. (Time scale immediate use as required)

Habitat improvements:

  • Carl Nicholls and Paul Wilkinson to explore options and solution for underwater fish refuges in the lakes. (Time scale 3 months)
  • Installation of fish refuges within the lakes (Time scale 9 months)
  • Paul Wilkinson along with new volunteer person (to be appointed) take forward repairs and re-establishing of floating islands on Engine pool. This is to include new planted coir matting and perimeter fencing around the islands to allow the young plants to establish and also reduce cormorant perching opportunities. (Time scale 9 months)
  • Remove tern raft from Terry’s pool to allow for repairs and design modification to improve target birds use. (Time scale 3 months subject to nesting birds)

Record Keeping:

  • Fishery bailiff and open match fishing organisers to keep daily records of: Date, Time of day, Cormorants seen flying over, Cormorants seen on the lakes, Cormorants seen feeding (yes/no) and photographic evidence of damage caused to fish by Cormorant predation.
  • Annual records of Cormorant numbers recorded by local bird groups.


A review of measures and effectiveness of actions after 12 months.

Tuesday 17 March 2015

Cormorant proposals - my comments

Thanks to those who sent me comments or responded directly to Canal & Rivers Trust about the recent proposals for reducing Cormorant predation of fish at Earlswood. I've just emailed the following to the fisheries manager.

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Dear Carl,

I hope I'm not too late to comment on the Cormorant proposals at Earlswood Lakes. I am a birdwatcher who has been visiting Earlswood regularly for over 7 years. My comments are below in red:

Improvements to the existing floating islands on Engine pool. This included new coir mats and replanting of native plants on the island. An increase to the perimeter edge of the islands with coir rolls and new perimeter fencing around the island to protect the new plants while they establish as well as hindering the perching areas used by the cormorants. As well as fish refuges beneath islands suggested by Bob Roberts, maybe also plant more reeds in the water around the sides of the pool as additional fish refuge habitat.

The long thin island nearest to the Engine pool on Terry’s pool is noted as a roosting and feeding location for the cormorants. Remove all the wooden posts surrounding the island that are used by the cormorants to perch on. Coppice all the trees and the island to reduce potential perching locations but retain valuable habitat for nesting of local birds. Only the tree at the western end of the long island tends to be used by resting Cormorants, so only this would need coppicing. The wooden posts surrounding the island may be holding it together, so alternatively the posts could be used along with branches or some other material to retain soil added there and then planted with reeds, making it unsuitable for the Cormorants but providing some useful breeding habitat for other animal species. The lakes would benefit from having more reedbed habitat than they currently have.

Opening up of more areas around Terry’s pool by removing encroaching branches to allow for more visual appreciation of the pool as well as naturally disturbing cormorant resting and feeding due to more visual public presence. Terry's Pool is used as a refuge by many of the shyer waterbirds that visit the lakes, not to mention breeding species, due to its more sheltered situation and less disturbance. Opening up more areas around the pool is going to cause more disturbance to the birds seeking refuge there, making humans and dogs more visible to them, and allow strong winds to penetrate what is effectively a shelterbelt for the birds. It will remove cover possibly being used by fish as shelter, and remove bird nesting habitat. It will also encourage more illicit fishing there by providing more access points to the water's edge. 

Use of starting pistol by fishery bailiff and an angling representative to create loud bang and disturb roosting or feeding birds. Conditions and code of practice to be agreed on time of day, number of times fired and per day, other users to the site etc.  Use of a starting pistol is going to cause disturbance to non-target bird species, and whilst Paul Wilkinson assures me that any disturbance like this will not take place during the breeding season, birds visiting at other times of the year are going to be affected. It will also be a nuisance and potential hazard to other human users of the lakes and those residents living within hearing distance.

Kind regards,
Matt Griffiths

Thursday 5 March 2015

Proposals for reducing Cormorant predation of fish

I was recently forwarded an email (below) about proposals to reduce Cormorant predation of fish at Earlswood, and would appreciate your comments. Cormorant numbers have increased at the lakes during the last few years, annual peaks being in the late teens/20s mostly during the autumn. I'm concerned about two of the proposals. Opening up more areas around Terry's Pool is going to cause more disturbance to other bird species seeking refuge there and encourage more illicit fishing. Use of a starting pistol is also going to cause more disturbance to non-target bird species, and I would certainly be against its use during the breeding season for obvious reasons. It's quite depressing really - Earlswood is more than adequately disturbed as it is! Please share with anyone else who might be interested.
Kind regards,
Matt

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Dear all,

On Tuesday 24th February 2015 a group of interested representatives met at Earlswood Lakes to discuss the problem of cormorant predation and potential measures to help reduce the damage to fish and loss of fish being caused by cormorant predation.

The following people were in attendance:
Canal & River Trust: Carl Nicholls (Fisheries & Angling Manger), Paul Wilkinson (Senior Ecologist) and Sue Blocksidge (Waterway Supervisor).
Local anglers: Richard Verney, Mark Carney and Barry Cheese.
Angling Trust Fisheries Advisor on Cormorant predation: Richard Bamforth
Earlswood Wildlife Partnership Secretary: Bob Roberts
Fishery Licensee / Bailiff: John Collins

Local anglers and the fishery bailiff report increasing numbers of cormorants visually present with a maximum of 35 being recorded on one day. Bob Roberts and local bird watchers comment that they have seen numbers up to 25 present at times. Anglers and the bailiff are reporting fish visually being taken by birds as well as numbers of fish that are being caught having damage marks from either escaping or being too big for the cormorant to swallow. Actively feeding cormorants are also disturbing and stopping fish from setting on anglers baited areas which is affecting and reducing anglers catches. The effect of fish being eaten and angler’s catches being reduced is reducing pleasure and match angling attendances which is having a knock on effect in less income being received by the Trust.

Fish are also a valuable asset to the Trust with the average cost of fish now being £8/lb. On average a cormorant eats 1lb of fish. With a potential of 25-35 cormorants a day visiting the site this would equate to 175lb-245lb of fish being eaten per week at a replacement cost of £1400-£1960.

The group discussed and these are the proposals made:

·         Improvements to the existing floating islands on Engine pool. This included new coir mats and replanting of native plants on the island. An increase to the perimeter edge of the islands with coir rolls and new perimeter fencing around the island to protect the new plants while they establish as well as hindering the perching areas used by the cormorants.

·         The long thin island nearest to the Engine pool on Terry’s pool is noted as a roosting and feeding location for the cormorants. Remove all the wooden posts surrounding the island that are used by the cormorants to perch on. Coppice all the trees and the island to reduce potential perching locations but retain valuable habitat for nesting of local birds.

·         Removal of the Tern raft to allow the raft to be improved so that it is more attractive to its purpose species.
·         Opening up of more areas around Terry’s pool by removing encroaching branches to allow for more visual appreciation of the pool as well as naturally disturbing cormorant resting and feeding due to more visual public presence.

·         Use of starting pistol by fishery bailiff and an angling representative to create loud bang and disturb roosting or feeding birds. Conditions and code of practice to be agreed on time of day, number of times fired and per day, other users to the site etc.

·         Fishery bailiff and angling representative to carry and wear Orange Hi Viz vest to back up and enforce the use of the starting pistol. The cormorants build up an association with being disturbed and shot at with the colour Orange. Future association means the birds will naturally avoid areas where they see people in bright orange.

·         Fishery bailiff and angling representative to continue to monitor and record cormorant numbers and photograph any fish caught with damage caused by cormorants.

Should the above measures not help with a desired reduction in cormorant predation? An application may be made to Natural England to apply for a licence to shoot cormorants to re-enforce scaring methods and habitat improvements.

I would be grateful if you could take some time to look at the proposals and make any comments or suggestions?

Kind regards

Carl Nicholls
Fisheries & Angling Manager
Canal & River Trust, Peels Wharf, Lichfield Street, Fazeley, Tamworth, B78 3QZ
01827 252048   F 01827 25062    @CRTFisheries