According to the County Administrative Board, the number of great cormorants has increased sharply in the Östergötland archipelago since the beginning of the 2000s. In the latest inventory in 2023, the number of breeding pairs was estimated at around 7,700, with the largest concentration in the archipelago. The controversial great cormorant nests in several places around Norrköping, including colonies in both Glan and Bråviken.
The great cormorant is now seen more frequently and in large numbers at Motala ström in central parts of the city. At Femöresbron, the presence of great cormorants is clearly noticeable, with trees white from droppings and a faint smell. Johan Lewander, a landscape engineer in Norrköping municipality, said, "You get a little worried.
You get a little worried. It's almost 50-70 birds sitting in the trees.
" Great cormorants are protected according to EU directives. Protective hunting of great cormorants has been granted to reduce pressure on fish stocks, with up to 3,250 cormorants allowed to be shot under the permit. Lewander noted, "Great cormorants are protected according to EU directives, so we as a municipality cannot do much.
" It is not yet known how the municipality will act in Norrköping regarding the great cormorants or whether it will apply for protective hunting from the county administrative board. The specific impact of the great cormorants on local fish stocks in Norrköping remains unclear.
It's more common out in the archipelago.
Great cormorants are protected according to EU directives, so we as a municipality cannot do much. We may have to apply for protective hunting with the county administrative board.