A note from our Conservation Officer

All,

I have just received the NRW Board paper on FEB’s, don’t hold your breath on any meaningful action on FEB’s!  There is no acknowledgement that goosanders were not a native British bird and were not recorded on Welsh rivers until the 1970’s.  Whilst goosander did overwinter on the East Coast of Scotland they are now present on all UK rivers as overwintered birds stayed on Scottish rivers and started to breed.  Looking at the numbers in the report with 1300 pairs of overwinter birds (3 months?) assuming they eat 400gm of fish per day then in 3 months between them they would potentially consume circa 1 Tonne of fish much of which in Wales will be made up of salmonids.  Feel free to circulate to your members.

Chris