Cormorants: Ecology and Management at the Start of the 21st Century. ( = Die Vögelwelt, 124. Jg., Supplement) . …

For many years, Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo have regularly hit the headlines in newspapers and magazines across Europe, fuelling controversy about their dramatic 'invasion'. On one hand, the spectacular increase in the continental population Ph. c. sinensis is considered a success story in terms of nature conservation. A top predator has been reinstated through the joint efforts of protective measures and improving conditions in the aquatic environment. On the other hand, the increased numbers and expansion of the birds' range have caused great concern to many people who have to make a living from aquatic habitats. Up to now no single solution or pan-European Cormorant control measure has been adopted. Nevertheless, the general national and international debate and numerous site-specific management initiatives at the local level have benefited greatly from the large number of studies into the ecology of Great Cormorants and their interactions with the environment. Ecological, behavioural and demographic studies form a major part of the 50 contributions to this volume. However, applied issues are also considered and many studies refer to management measures that have been taken with respect to the birds' interaction with fisheries. Trends in numbers and distribution, particularly of the continental race of the Great Cormorant, are an important topic here. The book also deals with the less frequently reported Ph. c. carbo in the Barents Sea region. Interesting parallels between Ph. c. sinensis and the North American Double-crested Cormorant Ph. auritus show both the simultaneous developments in bird populations and human perceptions but also the different perspectives on cormorants on both sides of the Atlantic. Also included are reports about less frequently described cormorant species and subspecies such as Ph. c. lucidus, Ph. c. hanedae, the Pygmy Cormorant Ph. pygmaeus, the Long-tailed Cormorant Ph. africanus and the Darter Anhinga melanogaster rufa.