Professional paper
ICHTIOPHAGOUS BIRDS AND POUND PROTECTION
1997, 55 (2) p. 67-78
Abstract
Large concentrations of fish in fishponds have always attracted ichtyophagic birds exclusively for easy and plentiful catch. In the course of the fish production process, some bird species, depending on how numerous they are, cause considerable economic damage. The existence of cormorants (Phalacro- corax carbo) in great numbers both on fish farms and on open waters during the last 16 years has resulted in the disappearance of large quantities of fish, one or two years old in particular, and has brought most of the fish farms to the edge of economic breakdown. Protection from the ichtyophagus birds has been gradually developed in the course of years but not one of the group of measures undertaken, either active or passive, has yielded satisfactory results. The problem lies in the fact that the ichtyopagus birds very quickly get used to most of the ways of protection and continue catching fish. Large areas of every particular pond as well as of fish farms only make it easier. The problem of the predatory ichtyophagie bird species remains unsolved and it seems that the lasting and efficient solutions will be difficult to find
Keywords
ichtiophagous birds, damage, phalacrocorax carbo, pond protectian