Nine European Union countries, including Poland, are demanding a reduction in the protected status of cormorants, arguing that the birds are depleting fish stocks across the Baltic and North Seas.
Proposed Legal Changes for Cormorant Hunting
Nine European Union nations have formally requested permission to hunt cormorants outside of their breeding seasons. During a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on May 26, 2026, these countries advocated for maintaining cormorant populations at levels considered both ecologically and economically acceptable, proposing a downgrade in the birds’ current protected status.
The coalition pushing for these measures includes Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland, with the Czech Republic submitting the formal proposal. Finnish Minister of Agriculture Sari Essayah noted that the birds are currently causing significant disruption within the Baltic Sea region.
Environmental and Economic Tensions
While fishermen blame cormorants for declining fish stocks, environmental experts point to broader systemic issues, including climate change and EU-sanctioned annual fishing quotas that often exceed scientific recommendations.
Cormorants, which have enjoyed protected status in Europe since 1979, number approximately two million across the continent. Each bird requires roughly 180 kilograms of food annually, with populations residing year-round near the North and Baltic Seas, and others wintering in the Mediterranean.
Regulatory Hurdles for Policy Revision
Reclassifying the species would require a majority vote among the 27 EU member states and the European Parliament. A similar legislative pathway was utilized by the European Union last year to downgrade the protected status of wolves.
