Death to the cormorant?

Yes, another species has to die. The European Parliament wants to kill cormorants for eating fish. They think that 'can't explain to our professional anglers' We can protect fish by stopping destructive fishing.

NOT by shooting birds.

Cormorants are fish eaters who are known for diving very well for fish. They do this in both fresh, salty and brackish water. They can stay underwater for more than a minute and they swim with the help of the webbed on their legs behind the prey. The tail then serves as a rudder. In water from 1 to 3 meters deep, it dives to fish, shellfish and amphibians.

When the bird takes a fish, it first takes it to the surface. That's where he swallows it. After a successful hunt, the cormorant goes to a quiet spot on the shore.

The cormorant does not have as good water-repellent fat layer as other waterfowl. That's why the cormorant often sits in the sun with spread wings to dry up. The cormorant's plumage is permeable to water, otherwise it would not be able to dive. Cormorants are highly social animals. They breed closely next to each other, in colonies, on rock ledges by the sea or in trees on lakes or coasts, locally in reed fields or on ground. The nest consists of branches. The laying of the cormorant consists of 3 or 4 blue, chalk coated eggs of 50 grams. They are incubated for 2-3 to 25 days. The boy is naked and black, with a pink head. Both parents take care of the maintenance of the nest, breeding and feeding the boy. The young are already flying out after less than two months. They don't get the adult plumage until they are two years or even older. Only then do they start looking for a partner for the first time.

In the Naardermeer there is perhaps the best bird-watching hut in the Netherlands to see cormorants on their nests. The breeding of such a colony has a decent effect on the environment. Not only the nests and trees become muscle white from all the poop, the soil and the water beneath it acidifies. The effect is so great that a tree that cormorants breed in can eventually die