Email received that may be of interest.
Cormorants-Biodiversity in Danger
Dear Sir/Madam,
You may remember that we wrote to you recently concerning the above and the forthcoming Defra review into the cormorant licensing law, announced in January this year. To those who have already responded to our appeal, by informing your members through web sites and various publications, we give our sincere thanks, and to those who haven’t we ask that you read on.
We understand that this is an emotive subject and that in supporting our stance, you fear entering into direct opposition with bird groups and nature trusts. However, we are in no way pushing for the wholesale slaughter of carbo sinensis, just a change in the law to allow fishery owners and managers to protect their assets and in doing so defend all of the flora and fauna, not just our native fish stocks, which contribute to the biodiversity of our riverine environments.
Judging by some of the views expressed in our petition, unless we act now, while we have this opportunity, it appears inevitable that without exception, every river in the UK will be united by this common denominator. Have no reservations, unless we take this positive step now, there will come a time when native species like herons, Kingfishers, great crested grebes, bitterns, Osprey and even otters will have little to eat and then and only then will the bird groups and nature trusts wish they’d done something to help.
Please, if you’re Club/Association even remotely values the ecology that encompasses our waterways, give your members this chance to have their say. You can do this by either posting this link http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/cormorants-biodiversity-in-danger.html with a short introduction on the home page of your web sites, as have the Angling Trust and other supporting organisations, putting a poster in your local tackle shops, giving it a mention in your newsletters or membership books or better still, all four.
Further details and background information can also be found, along with the link to the petition at www.avonroachproject.co.uk where you will also find the full story of our Avon Roach Project.
Attached is a copy of our cormorant document, please read it, and a copy of the poster for your pubs, clubs and tackle shop’s. Please act now, by informing your members, and give them the option to have their say.
Thank you.
Budgie Price & Trevor Harrop
