2024-04-07 15:56:57
“During the working procedure, we have agreed that it would make sense to take the next step and go towards setting individual quotas, by determining the number of birds that can be taken for each farm,” said D. Mikelaitis during the meeting of the Seimas Rural Affairs Committee this week.
“This year, we plan to complete the licensing process by determining the periods for which birds are allowed to be taken.” The requests of 15 farms have already been fulfilled, only a few remain. To maintain evenness, it makes sense to keep the same system this year. We have the initiative and desire to move to a new system where we can have a clear quota system. And then start next year according to this order”, he mentioned.
A representative of the Environmental Protection Agency explained that according to the current system, farms count and provide information on the abundance of damaging cormorants, birds caught or destroyed. Based on these data, he said, the periods when it is allowed to kill birds are determined.
“Every year, the agency makes positive decisions regarding the regulation of the abundance of cormorants in farms. From 2022 we have a bit of an addition in decision-making that aquaculture farms independently collect and provide data on the abundance of birds, on the amount of birds taken and on the amount of damage caused. And by evaluating these parameters, the periods during which the taking of birds is allowed are determined,” he commented.
D. Mikelaitis also mentioned that since 2002 there is a procedure that allows for the application of non-lethal measures to control the abundance of cormorants at any time of the year.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Donatas Dudutis announced that in 2015-2022 period, 2.5 million was allocated to aquaculture farms to compensate the damage caused by cormorants. euros. According to him, this is a third of the funds allocated to aquaculture pond farms implementing nature management measures.
“This measure is also planned in the new funding period”, emphasized D. Dudutis.
The vice-minister mentioned that although cormorants cause great damage to farms, European Union regulations and Lithuania’s obligations limit the measures that can be used against them.
“The cormorant, as a bird, has a significant negative economic impact. We really believe that not only intimidating but also lethal measures can be used against them. But in this place it is somewhat limited by European regulations and international obligations,” he said.
At that time, Algirdas Klimavičius, head of the Nature Protection Policy Group of the Ministry of the Environment, said that hunting permits for such birds are issued to farms that suffer damage due to these birds. Still, he said, such permits should be issued annually based on damage and bird populations.
“We do not have special freedom to manage this species. According to the Birds Directive, this species is not listed as a hunted species. Therefore, each individual case is decided by a separate permit and the member states must respect the basic rules, examine whether there are alternatives or whether a situation of great harm is faced. And then to establish regulatory measures of such scope that would not affect the long-term survival of the species”, he asserted.
“In Lithuania, farms are issued permits to regulate the abundance of cormorants every year,” he emphasized.
According to the representative of Environmental Protection, there are currently 8 thousand in Lithuania. pairs of cormorants, at that time there may be several tens of thousands of pairs in the Kingdom. Yes, according to him, some young cormorants, who are under 4 years old, wander, and in Lithuania, damage to fish farms is caused by birds hatched in Finland or Sweden.
“In the case of cormorants, Lithuania has about 8 thousand. pairs of cormorants. We have a problem that there are several large colonies in the Kingdom area, where the number of pairs is counted in tens of thousands. The biology of the species also determines that part of the young birds wander and they cause the most damage to farms,” explained the vice-minister.
During the meeting, the Rural Affairs Committee decided to contact European Commissioner Virginijas Sinkevičius in order to find out how the European Union directives provide for the protection of cormorants and what measures a member country could allow in order to reduce the damage caused by these birds to business.
2024-04-07 15:56:57