Fight for survival: Cormorant threatens marble trout in Italy

Fight for survival: Cormorant threatens marble trout in Italy

Belluno, Italien - In Italy, a bitter struggle for survival is raging! The province of Belluno does everything possible to preserve the marble, a threatened trout, from extinction. But a voracious enemy, the cormorant, threatens this ambitious project. The feathered robber spreads out on the banks of the Piave River and endangers the future of the marble trout. Both types are under the protection of the EU, which also complicates the situation.

In 2024, impressive 500,000 marble trout jungfish were suspended in Belluno. But the vice president of the province, Silvia Calligaro, warns: "The greed of the cormorants could reject all of our efforts." These championship divers can dive up to 30 meters deep and devour up to 10 kilograms of fish every day! The fishing associations and the province urgently demand measures to protect the trout, but the legal situation hardly leaves scope for solutions. "We have to achieve an equilibrium," said Calligaro. Time is urgent, because the project for saving the marble trout runs until 2025.

the cormorant: From extinction threatened to the fish robber

The cormorant population in Belluno has grown to around 200 animals. These birds of prey, once threatened with extinction, are now a serious threat to the marble. In recent years, the cormorants have increased significantly, which has led to a dramatic decline in fish stocks. The province of Bozen reports of a massive decline in fish biomass, especially in the case of endangered species such as the marbled trout. "The salmonids have not been able to recover to this day," warn the authorities.

The debate about the cormorant is heated. While some demand to regulate the birds of prey to protect the fish stocks, others argue that kills would only shift the problem. The historical persecution of the cormorant in the 1960s led to his decline, but since its protection position in the 1970s, the population has increased explosively. The challenge remains: How can you protect both the cormorant and the marble, without one kind of wiping out the other?