Cormorants are frequently persecuted by fishing interests who view them as competitors, despite evidence that their impact on fish populations is generally modest and that persecution methods cause significant welfare harm.
Cormorants killed and displaced through fishery conflict management experience welfare harms that are rarely quantified. Shooting for dispersal frequently wounds rather than kills, leaving injured birds that die slowly. Nest disturbance during breeding causes chick mortality through exposure and predation. The welfare cost is imposed on a protected species based on economic claims that are often overstated. Evidence-based fishery conflict management that accurately assesses cormorant impact is more welfare-consistent than reflexive persecution.