The resurgence of the great cormorant population across Europe – once a conservation success story – is now causing concern among fisheries, aquaculture industries and environmental policymakers

Thanks to the European Union Birds Directive, cormorant numbers have soared from just 50,000 in the 1970s to over 2 million today. However, this comeback has come at a cost.

To address these concerns, the Polish government, during its presidency of the Council of Europe, hosted a high-level conference drawing over 230 delegates from 35 countries.