At the Twelfth Session of EIFAC, Budapest, 1982, the delegation of the Netherlands called attention to the fact that fish culture was endangered and near to bankruptcy at the Lelystad Fish Farm (218 ha), due to predation of the rapidly increasing number of cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis).
Other regions, for example, pond farms in the Camargue (France), in Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein and Yugoslavia, heavy losses had also been reported due to predation by cormorants.
As a consequence of the strict protection of this species in the EIFAC region it was suspected that the cormorant populations will increase considerably in the near future and may become a considerable problem for a greater number of fish farms.
The problem of bird predation was of notable interest to many delegations. It was, therefore, recommended that more information be gathered on the whole problem of the impact of birds on aquaculture and fisheries operations.
In view of the common interest in this item, the Twelfth Session of EIFAC decided that a Working Party on this subject should be established with the following objectives:
gather information, by means of a questionnaire, on the direct and indirect economical impact of bird predation both in different types of aquacultural enterprises, as well as in open-water fisheries;
prepare a document based on literature and experimental data concerning bird damage in:
- pond fish culture
- trout culture
- open waters
Taking into account related aspects of fish diseases.
It was furthermore decided that the above-mentioned documents (the replies to the questionnaire and the working group document, respectively) will be combined by the Secretariat to be handed over to the Director-General of FAO for further appropriate action.
This report therefore forms part of the remit of the EIFAC Working Party on Prevention and Control of Bird Predation in Aquaculture and Fisheries Operations. Its primary purpose is to review the literature on bird predation, although it also considers the broader aspects of bird/aquatic ecosystem interactions, particularly as they affect fish populations (e.g., disease transmission, trophic state, etc.). It is thus intended to compliment the summary reports on the status of the problems experienced by EIFAC member states prepared from questionnaires.
The report sets out to determine the avian species involved, and to assess the economic losses incurred in open-water fisheries, pond fish farms and trout farms. It also examines the effectiveness of various methods of control. The report draws heavily upon published data from within EIFAC member states, but also includes information from outwith this area, particularly on control methods.
The following were nominated members of the Working Party on Prevention and Control of Bird Predation in Aquaculture and Fisheries Operations:
| C.M. Bungenberg de Jong (the Netherlands) | - | pond fish culture (Convenor) |
| J. From (Denmark) | - | trout culture |
| L. Marion (France) | - | open waters |
| K. Molnar (Hungary) | - | related aspects of fish diseases |
At the Thirteenth Session of EIFAC in Aarhus (Denmark) the Working Party was extended by the addition of Dr M. Beveridge, University of Stirling (UK), who kindly offered to review the literature on this subject.
The Convenor acted at the same time as Secretary of the Working Party and was in touch with the EIFAC National Correspondents, EIFAC Officers, the Secretary of EIFAC and many others.
As no funds were available, contacts between the members of the Working Party were mainly by correspondence. The Convenor has visited France and the United Kingdom in order to discuss certain aspects with the members in these countries.
The activities of the Working Party during the intersessional periods were reported at the Thirteenth Session of EIFAC, Aahus (Denmark) (document EIFAC/XIII/84/13) and at the Fourteenth Session of EIFAC, Bordeaux (France) (document EIFAC/XIV/86/5). The draft report was circulated to the member countries of EIFAC for comment and modification. Replies received have been incorporated into this document.
A questionnaire on the economical impact of bird predation provided a good opportunity to gather more information on the bird problem as a whole. Some particular fields of interest, for instance, “predation” or “fish diseases” were selected within each item.
The format of the questionnaire was aimed at eliciting descriptive answers. In this way it was expected that more useful information could be gathered than by a simple “yes” or “no” format. It was not thought feasible to send individual inquiry forms to the thousands of fish farms in the EIFAC region so the questionnaire was sent to the EIFAC National Correspondents, who were well placed most probably to collect adequate information concerning the situation in their countries.
The first draft was prepared in corperation with the Chairman of Sub-Commission II. The topics pond fish culture, trout culture and open waters were drafted by C.M. Bungenberg de Jong, J. From and L. Marion, respectively. The questionnaire, which was sent by the EIFAC Secretariat to the EIFAC National Correspondents is included as Annex 2 to this report.
The Working Party received replies to the questionnaire from the following 18 countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany (Federal Republic), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Besides the questionnaire, the Working Party also prepared a literature review for which we are greatly indebted to Dr M. Beveridge, whose efforts have resulted in a comprehensive document entitled: “M.C.M. Beveridge, Problems caused by birds at inland waters and freshwater fish farms. A literature review.”
