Angling Trust has launched a new web site for you and your fishing friends to record sightings of cormorants, goosanders and mergansers throughout the UK: Cormorant Watch

The new site is easy to use - it takes less than a minute to record your sighting.

Don't forget to bookmark Cormorant Watch, keep your eyes peeled and come back every time you want to report a sighting.

The Angling Trust succeeded in persuading the Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon to carry out a review of the cormorant licensing procedure and he has stated that he is prepared to take "bold decisions". As part of this review, the Trust needs data on the abundance of cormorants to convince the government to take decisive action. So now it's your turn - go to Cormorant Watch and make a difference.

Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd commented "This is a moment when anglers need to stand up and be counted to persuade politicians to simplify licensing procedures and allow greater controls on cormorant numbers - a decision which could affect the future of fishing for the next generation. All anglers who see one of these birds in the next few months must make the effort to visit cormorantwatch.org and put a pin in the map, whether they are a member of the Angling Trust or not."


Please go to Cormorant Watch and report your sighting.

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[I]"The fish and I were both stunned and disbelieving to find ourselves connected by a line." William Humphrey in "The Armchair Angler"[/I]

Done

Very Easy

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Allan
Only dead fish go with the flow.

Thanks for that, will spread the word.

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Musha rig um du rum da

We have just covered this news item as well which also includes a video message from Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd

View news article on Fish&Fly

This is excellent!

One quick question I have is can you backdate sightings or can it only be recent sightings? Because I have a record for a number of sightings going back four or five years on some of the waters I've fishing when they were plucking fish out the water like nobody's business.

Would be good if we could!
but doubt it will count.
Shame cos i have records of cormorants, 20 miles in land, going back 35 years!!
not just one or two birds, but groups of 4 or 5, all settling in the bigger pools on rivers, so much so, they had to push the goosanders out the way!
regards
bert

Just looked at site, and posted recent sightings.
looks like it is possible to back date!
aint tried going back far, but is possible for this year!
dont know if past years sightings will show on map, but past months do!
regards
bert

At least 100 here, taken Thursday evening in London.

All the black dots are comorants and there's another island just to the right with more, anyone got a rpg!?

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This Seasons Blog

Hi all,

I built this site on behalf of at. Thanks for all your positive responses thus far and we've made a great start. Regarding the question about backdated sightings...I would recommend just adding sightings from now on. We've approved sightings going back a few months but in reality we'll predominantly be looking at data from the sites launch last week until this time next year. The next few months will be crucial in building a picture of our resident cormorants before the visitors come in winter.

Please make sure your sightings are accurate and don't exaggerate....

Happy to answer any other questions

Best

Ed from flyfishmap

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www.flyfishmap.com

We have some birds on our res but also 110 members + day tickets - what happens if everone posts sightings of these birds?

Eg if you see 5 birds at a location and there is already a reference to them do you leave it as it is. Can you then add to it when 5 become 20 during winter or stocking time etc

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