Cormorants and the Loch Leven trout fishery

Wright, Gordon Alan (2002) Cormorants and the Loch Leven trout fishery. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Perceived conflicts between piscivorous birds and commercial freshwater fisheries are common, and such a perception exists at Loch Leven, a wetland of international importance for nature conservation and a famous commercial brown trout Salmo trutta fishery, where Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo have been shot in large numbers. This thesis describes the foraging behaviour of cormorants wintering on Loch Leven. It summarises changes in wintering numbers over a 32 year period, and reviews data on fish populations, fish stocking rates, angling catches and angling effort in order to seek evidence of detrimental impacts of cormorants on the fishery, and beneficial effects of large-scale cormorant shooting. Finally, this thesis considers turnover within the wintering cormorant population, and its implications for cormorant control.

Cormorants spent most of the time roosting, and a single peak of feeding activity occurred early in the morning. Compared to early or late winter, cormorants showed higher foraging activity during mid-winter. Both solitary feeding and flock feeding were recorded, with flock feeding predominating. Solitary feeding was distributed over a wide area. The intensity of flock feeding was less evenly distributed, with 36% of grid squares not used. Overall, 78% of flock feeding activity took place in 23% of grid squares and 59% took place in 13% of grid squares. The best predictor of both solitary feeding and flock feeding intensity of use was mean water depth. Mean water depth was also the best predictor of winter brown trout distribution, although winter brown trout distribution was not a predictor of either solitary feeding or flock feeding intensity of use.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: S Agriculture > SH Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling; Q Science > QL Zoology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Furness, Bob and Adams, Colin
• Date of Award: 2002
• Depositing User: Elaine Ballantyne
• Unique ID: glathesis:2002-1623
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 04 Mar 2010
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 13:44
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/1623