The Cormorant is native to Ireland and is monitored at a number of sites during its breeding and non-breeding seasons, in accordance with Article 12 of the EU Birds Directive. It is largely a coastal breeding bird and is not an invasive species, A portion of the Irish population nests inland in freshwater environments. A breeding survey, including Ireland’s inland waterways system, was conducted in recent years.
The data is summarised in a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Irish Wildlife Manual, publicly available on the NPWS website www.npws.ie at the following link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM114.pdf.
Outside the breeding season, this species frequents inland waterways, as well as coastal and estuarine sites across the country. The Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS) is Ireland's programme for monitoring population trends of wintering waterbirds, including Cormorant, and the habitats they use.
I-WeBS covers approximately 250 sites and 750 subsites per annum across the country. An Irish Wildlife Manual describing the status and distribution of wintering cormorant and other waterbirds for the period 2009/10 – 2015/16 is also available at the following link: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM_106_Irelands_Wintering_Waterbirds.pdf.
Contemporary data from I-WeBS can be accessed via the survey’s dedicated web portal at irishwetlandbirdsurvey.ie/.
I have no function in respect of the management of fish stocks, which is the responsibility of Inland Fisheries Ireland and comes under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications.
