Great cormorants are skilled fish predators that have recovered strongly in Britain, creating conflicts with anglers and fish farmers that generate pressure for lethal control of a legally protected species.
Cormorant welfare is caught between legal protection and licensed killing in a conflict that is primarily economic rather than ecological. Individual cormorants shot under licence face welfare risks from wounding if shot placement is poor or birds are not retrieved. The most welfare-positive management approach prioritises non-lethal deterrence - netting fish farm facilities, acoustic and visual scarers, and habitat modification - before resorting to licensed culling. Public transparency about the scale of licensed cormorant shooting and its effectiveness in reducing fish losses would allow evidence-based evaluation of whether lethal control is justified relative to available alternatives.