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Fishermen told not to scare ducks | Fishermen told not to scare ducks |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Fishermen have been ordered not to scare off birds eating their mussels. | Fishermen have been ordered not to scare off birds eating their mussels. |
A government inspector has backed a decision by English Nature banning electronic wailers used to stop eider ducks from eating the young shellfish. | A government inspector has backed a decision by English Nature banning electronic wailers used to stop eider ducks from eating the young shellfish. |
English Nature said the noise could disturb ducks and other waterfowl in the mussel beds bordering Lincolnshire and Norfolk. | English Nature said the noise could disturb ducks and other waterfowl in the mussel beds bordering Lincolnshire and Norfolk. |
Fourteen fishermen had applied for permission to use 22 scarers at the site, but the request was denied. | Fourteen fishermen had applied for permission to use 22 scarers at the site, but the request was denied. |
They said huge flocks of ducks were eating up the area's mussel stocks. | They said huge flocks of ducks were eating up the area's mussel stocks. |
They don't want us to catch fish and they don't want us to catch mussels Ken Bagley, Wash Fishermen's Association | They don't want us to catch fish and they don't want us to catch mussels Ken Bagley, Wash Fishermen's Association |
A public inquiry held in June at Boston Borough Council rejected an appeal by the fishermen under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. | A public inquiry held in June at Boston Borough Council rejected an appeal by the fishermen under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. |
It concluded the bird scarers were of "only limited effectiveness". | It concluded the bird scarers were of "only limited effectiveness". |
Ken Bagley of the Wash Fishermans' Association said the decision would mean the end of mussel industry in the area. | |
"We are fed up with buying mussel seed (baby mussels) and having the ducks eat them all," he said. | "We are fed up with buying mussel seed (baby mussels) and having the ducks eat them all," he said. |
He said the mussel industry in the area was being "sold down the river" by the government and English Nature. | He said the mussel industry in the area was being "sold down the river" by the government and English Nature. |
"They don't want us to catch fish and they don't want us to catch mussels." | "They don't want us to catch fish and they don't want us to catch mussels." |
The ducks can consume up to 2.5kg each time they visit the mussel beds. | The ducks can consume up to 2.5kg each time they visit the mussel beds. |
English Nature said surveys have shown 3,000 birds use the mussel beds. | English Nature said surveys have shown 3,000 birds use the mussel beds. |
The Wash is the most important wetland in the UK for waterbirds supporting an average population of more than 400,000 over winter. | |
Sarah Dawkins, the species policy officer at the RSPB, commented: "The Wash is incredibly important for water birds, as it is for industry, and this has been acknowledged by the Secretary of State. | |
She added: "We do not think shellfishing should stop, only that it should return to a sustainable level so that fishermen and wildlife can co-exist. The Wash is not suitable for industrial-level fishing. It is the UK's best water bird site and so it should stay." |
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