An important emergency on Lake Garda has led to the decision to authorize the culling of cormorants, referred to by local fishermen as the “wild boars of the lake” due to their devastating impact on fish populations. This measure has been approved by the Lombardy Region to address an increasingly unsustainable situation, in response to requests from fishing associations that see their activities and the balance of the local ecosystem under threat. The motion, promoted by the League party, includes a study to determine the sustainable number of cormorants for each body of water and a derogation plan for culling in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment.
In the Garda area, it is estimated that there are at least three thousand cormorants, each consuming up to 500 grams of fish per day. Floriano Massardi, the primary sponsor of the motion, emphasized the urgency of intervention to protect the local fish fauna from depletion caused by these birds and other predatory species such as catfish. Fishing associations are therefore calling for a swift implementation of the necessary measures to ensure sustainable fishing and preserve the ecological balance of the area.
