If local farmers were killing hundreds of birds every year then there would be uproar, but if you can’t see those deaths then it’s easier to ignore them. I was pleased to hear that the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority closed some areas of a local fishery after news of the deaths of hundreds of seabirds in nets off the coast of west Cornwall.
This news reminded me of when these seabird deaths first came to our attention in the late 1980s. The thing about the Cornish fishery near St Ives is that it operates sufficiently close to the shore that you can see drowned birds in the nets as they are pulled up, and on the 1 February 1988 536 dead auks (razorbills and guillemots) were taken from just five nets within sight of shore. Back then we were asking for the Ministry of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food, to introduce fishing restrictions whenever seabird by-catch reached serious levels. It’s good to see that some progress has been made in the last 20 years.
One aspect of that progress is that Defra now covers fisheries and wildlife – in the olden days these two activities were in different departments which made progress difficult.
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the RSPB are working together with local fishermen to reduce the death toll. It doesn’t sound easy as the auks are there for the same reason as the fishermen – catching sprats. One suggestion has been only to set the nets overnight as then the auks aren’t fishing – but I wonder how that would appeal to the fishermen. How would you feel if you were told to go to work overnight so as to reduce the number of birds you kill on the road with your car?
I wonder what is the toll of drowned birds around our coasts every year. How many birds are drowning in nets out of sight of shore? And how many of them might be species of conservation concern? It’s very difficult to know – out of sight, out of mind. But I am very glad that we have made some progress in the last 20 years.
[registration_form]
Ahhh good post Mark and you’ve hit the nail on the head. Out of sight, out of mind – ever thus with fisheries industry that operate miles from prying eyes. One only has to look at the dolphin deaths in the Channel Pair trawling scandal to see what can happen when fishermen believe no-one is looking. Until they get washed up on the beach.
St Ives is the tip of the iceberg and lets no pretend its any differrent.
In other parts of they world they would simply stop the fishing – not here of course. The fish and the birds are valued enough.
Hi Mark, first a great big thank you for your voice and a hooray for raising awareness. It is good to read from and of people who try their best for our natural world against a lot of opposition. I wish it came more naturally to all to regard our world a rich place full of life, each creature with their own right to live, instead of a kingdom of humans first and foremost, but realise that there’s ways to go before that happens. Your texts, guest-writers and commentators paint a picture of people who are interested which is heartening.
Secondly, in comment to today’s text and your piece where you ask how would I feel if I had to start driving at night to stop roadkills. I don’t know. Having been driving for almost 30 years, day and night, at least an average amount, I’ve only roadkilled once, almost 30 yrs ago, and the memory of it will never be wiped out. It didn’t stop me, but what if I were doing it every time I’m out there? So I wonder if the comparison was not disproportionate?
There must be solutions for the bird-deaths in the nets and it may require more effort from the fishing fleets and yes, this should be reflected in the price of the food.
What an absurd world we live in… On one hand aren’t we getting fatter and fatter at least partly because food is so available and so cheap and on the other, causing extinction right left and centre (not to mention undue misery and loss of life of the animal kind) because we want it cheap? Anyway, thank you so much for your voice out there.
Minna – welcome! Thank you for your comment.
The sad fact is that some local farmers have killed 100s of birds a year for the past quarter of a century of more. They’ve done it unwittingly and unnoticed. Out of sight, out of mind and still in continued denial. Tens of thousands of birds and their chicks have died from starvation as a result of the insatiable quest to remove arable flora that might compete with crops and invertebrates that might damage them. In the 1970’s government incentives led to the pursuit of monoculture – the antithesis of ecosystems. Now, thankfully incentives are available through Environmental Stewardship to partially repair the damage – but for how much longer?
Mark, thanks for posting this. I wasn’t aware or hadn’t appreciated this problem. It seems to me that if we are not prepared to accept the demise of the Albatross due to fishing practices then why would these bird fatalities be acceptable. Accepting that fishermen are already heavily put upon with quotas and other regulations I can’t see and wouldn’t accept that nothing should be done about it.
I think driving at night would cause other fatalities – notably Barn Owls, but I accept your comparison!
Cannot hardly believe there are people still on the old lets kick farmers.It is time they just took notice of what is happening and stopped their pathetic carping.Praise for what is actually happening with farmers now would move things forward much faster.They are living in the past with massive hate in their minds.
Almost every week if they took notice they would see what is actually happening on lots of farms.For instance during the last week there have been articles about farmers improving Barn Owl numbers and articles about the Thorney project where considerable number of farmers all neighbours have joined in hoping to increase farmland bird numbers,somehow these people with chips on shoulder miss and ignore what is actually happening while eating cheap food that those they criticise have been asked to produce.
Your opening remark even though had no real bearing on content of blog gave one person the chance to put the boot in on farmers.I bet that persons knowledge of farming is about as good as mine on journalism.
Think although I have very little influence it might be nice if you added more of what is actually happening on farms now so that these people get the knowledge,good news should be at least as valuable as bad news.
These people do not even realise that unless farmers grow really productive crops they would not survive and for sure almost all farmers would have easier lives if the public (if that is what they want)paid for all farms to become wildlife parks,just lets have the cash,say what you want and how to do it and farmers would deliver.
By the shape of most people proof is farmers have done a remarkable job and if for any reason we get a shortage of food publics preference of eating or conservation will change very quickly,the majority of population have not lived in a time of food shortages.
When I fished full time for over 15 years we used to put out static nets to catch bait and I can tell you hundreds of sea ducks and others were caught. We only did it for one season and gave up. I don’t think many folk now carry this practice on our coast thankfully !
Andy – thanks!
Dennis
Thank you to responding. You are quite right on many fronts – so please accept my apologies. I hold my hand up, I shouldn’t have deviated from the blog subject which is about the important issue of seabird bycatch in fisheries. But the principle is the same. There are many farmers who care very much about the environment and I applaud, encourage and support them. I also respect the fact that those that farm need to make a living and deserve to make a comfortable living. However, please don’t hide behind the invalid, and outdated ‘food security’ argument. I would still be alive if farmers hadn’t been incentivised (is that a word?) to maximise production (tonnage payments) and hence profitability. I watched with awe Live Aid in 1985 – tens of thousands of Africans starving to death while the EC paid millions to store millions of tonnes of grain in western Europe – too expensive to export to where it was needed!
And out of sight, out of mind, corn buntings and turtle doves started to follow corncrakes and cirl buntings into obscurtity as the issues and management techniques mentioned in my prevous post evolved. Last year saw famine again in the Horn of Africa. What has changed? Does maximising production in the UK at the expense of our wildlife help feed the world? I don’t think so but if I’m wrong please do tell me. By the way I do know a little about farming. Additioanlly my step father was a gamekeeper in Suffolk throughout the 1950’s and 60’s and has told me so many inspiring tales about the wildlife encounters he experienced. Someone please show me a pheasant’s eye, shepherd’s needle, corncockle or garden tiger moth. Come on farmers – are you really custodians of the countryside? Yes, some of you are and you deserve all the recognition and applause of all of us that care about the wildlife that should be thriving therein. I know that farmland wildlife NEEDS farmers and I salute those that care. We need to support farmers not just because they provide our daily bread but because they also have the ability to conserve nature. I am no more filled with hatred of farmers than many modern farmers are of conservationists. Lets stop the denial and look at the facts, please.
I know many many farmers and don’t know one whom could tell you the difference between a skylark and a corn bunting !
Frankly they don’t give a S!!t about birds at all as they need to pay back the overvalued mortgage they took on during the boom.
Yes they plant hedges but that’s only to get the grant cash !!
Numenius I have never accepted that it is too expensive to send food to Africa,this has to be a myth.How can we import oil but say it is too expensive to send food to save lives when we import so much oil and indeed import certain food from Africa,must be political propaganda in my opinion.It will take time for farmers to change and biggest problem is that the schemes and experts setting them up have not yet got the input into them that will improve farmland bird numbers so farmers applying the schemes not getting the required results.this change to schemes is what is most needed but no one seems to know what is actually required.
Andy —another one who does not know what you are on about.
Go and tell the farmers who have probably saved the Corn Bunting from extinction in UK that they do not know Skylark from Corn Bunting.
Frankly you talk a load of what you describe as s!!t. only would be better described as bulls!!t.
The typical part about it is that you are even unhappy about them setting hedges.Bet you know at least two farmers,well done for that.
Born on a farm, worked on farms until I was 25. Member of young farmers club from 12 to 25 Chairman for 2 years. Shot and public spoke at national level with YFC. Now run a shooting agence dealing with over 150 farmers day to day !
Dennice I do know what farmers are !!
Andy—it gets worse you sound as if you make money from farmers,took advantage of YFC and say nasty things about them that are not true.The farmers in your area do not need enemy’s with having friends like you.
Facts are those farmers saving Corn Bunting definitely know difference between Corn Bunting and Skylark.
In fact it doesn’t even matter whether they do or not as long as they go in HLS.
You just took the chance to have a nasty jibe at farmers.