Dieschbourg made these statements in an answer to a parliamentary question, stressing that hunting this particular bird species would remain forbidden in the foreseeable future. She also clarified that while a number of great cormorants were indeed present in the country, they were only passing through and not breeding.
The minister's statements are supported by the facts: Only 50 great cormorants were counted between May and August along the Moselle and Sûre rivers. However, these observations increase substantially during the winter months. Last winter, an average of 300 to 500 great cormorants were counted during some months while they were hibernating along the Grand Duchy's rivers and water currents.
Thus, the honorary president of the association of sport fishermen and MP for the Democratic Party (DP), Gusty Graas, enquired with the Minister for the Environment whether this could be considered an overpopulation of great cormorants which would require regulation, as is for instance already the case in Germany and France.
The minister dismissed the MPs concerns, stating that regulation was unnecessary and the effects of the great cormorant's eating habits on the local fish stock insignificant. In fact, Dieschbourg pointed out that great cormorant populations were already in decline due to human interference, i.e. wastewater and other dirt which is dumped in rivers and streams.
This is also why the Ministry for the Environment does not usually rely on hunting of particular species of birds, which is in any case prohibited by an EU directive. Instead, the ministry tries to improve water quality by modernising treatment plants or renovating infrastructure.
However, there are certain exceptions which would allow the hunting of certain birds, e.g. in the case of a public health emergency, if there is a potential danger for aviation security, or to avoid severe damage to local seeds or animal populations. According to the minister, none of these factors would currently apply in Luxembourg, at least until the contrary was proven by a scientific study. Only then could an exception in the case of this species of bird be made.
Thus, the hunting of great cormorants remains prohibited in the Grand Duchy, meaning that the country will remain a safe habitat for this species. On a side note, in Germany the great cormorant was almost completely extinct until the 70s.
