Council of States committee wants to get to grips with goosanders

The Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee of the Council of States (Urek-S) approved a parliamentary initiative by Fabio Regazzi (center/TI) by 10 votes to 3, as reported by the Parliamentary Services on Tuesday. The National Council's sister committee will decide on this next.

The initiative aims to lower the protected status of the common merganser: the fish-eating duck should remain a protected species, but it should now be possible to regulate it. At present, population regulation is only possible if there is evidence of major economic damage.

The Urek-S now wants to specifically regulate the common merganser for reasons of fish species protection. According to the press release, fish-eating birds are partly responsible for putting already endangered fish stocks under even greater pressure.

According to the initiator, there is little data available on the impact of goosanders, whose adult birds feed exclusively on fish, on fish stocks. However, because fish are among the most endangered animals in Switzerland, the Commission believes it is appropriate to expand the scope for intervention.

According to data from the Sempach Ornithological Institute cited by Regazzi, the common merganser has spread over the past twenty years. In contrast to the cormorant, which has already been added to the list of huntable species, no measures are currently planned for the goosander.

In future, the cantons will be able to intervene in a regulatory capacity with the prior approval of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), as is already the case with other protected species.