Hydroscape-Group

15/10/2026

Six people watching the same flock of forty birds is still forty birds.

That's the first problem any cormorant count has to solve. Six reports of forty birds is not two hundred and forty birds, and a method that can't tell the difference produces a number nobody should act on.

Ours is built so repeat sightings don't become extra birds. Every report is kept, and the figure that comes out is a floor rather than an estimate: at least this many birds were there, because this many were seen at once. It carries no confidence interval and we say so every time it appears.

A number that can be picked apart is worth nothing in a licence application or a consultation. Ours is deliberately conservative for that reason.

None of it exists without the reports. Filing one takes about thirty seconds.

https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/cormorant.html

13/10/2026

Setting up a MyHydroscape account takes under a minute and costs nothing.

Every sighting you submit after that is saved to it. You get a dashboard of everything you've recorded, badges as you contribute, and a PDF biodiversity report covering what you've seen, where and when.

You can record without an account, and plenty of people do. The account exists so your records stay yours, and so you can put them in front of someone: a committee, a landowner, a planning officer, anyone who wants to know what's actually on a stretch of water.

https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/my-hydroscape.html

08/10/2026

The biodiversity monitor holds 1,004 UK species.

Mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, plants, trees and fungi. Each one carries its conservation status, identification notes and a link to the body that handles it.

Most freshwater recording is shaped by whoever is paying for the survey. A river gets counted for migratory fish, or for water quality, or for one protected species, and everything else living in it goes unrecorded.

We didn't want to build another single-species tool. If you're on the water and you see something, it's worth a record, whether that's an otter, a kingfisher, a mink or a signal crayfish. If you see it, record it.

https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/wildlife.html

06/10/2026

If you think licenced cormorant shooting is persecution, record cormorants.

The national figure for England isn't a count. It's an index, extrapolated from sample sites, and when BTO Cymru went and ground-truthed it in Wales the extrapolation came out wrong by a factor of two.

That's a problem for everyone. A fishery arguing it needs a licence has nothing solid to point at. So does anybody arguing it shouldn't get one.

Our cormorant report doesn't ask whose side you're on. It asks what you saw, where, and when. Birdwatchers, walkers, paddlers, wardens, anglers, anyone.

Record what you see and the argument gets a number instead of a guess.

https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/cormorant.html

01/10/2026

The typical cormorant licence in England covers five birds. In 2024/25, 416 licences covered 2,870 birds between them, and people who oppose the shooting call it persecution.

Until 1981 anyone with the fishing rights on a water could shoot a cormorant at any time, with no licence and no limit on numbers. That was persecution, and people who use the word now aren't making it up.

A licence today needs evidence of damage, at least a month of non-lethal records before you apply, and a return when it ends.

We want more birds licenced, on waters that can show the damage, and the ceiling raised so the population comes down. Natural England's latest estimate is more than 6,000 birds above its own minimum.

We build the software fisheries use to keep those records, so we have a stake in this. The full case, with every figure sourced:

Call licenced control persecution if you like. The cormorant still eats, and the fish need protecting.

26/09/2026

Last season, 393 of the 421 fish-eating bird licence applications were granted. Getting the licence isn't the hard part. Building the evidence behind it is.

That's what our webinar on 24 September was about, with Natural England, the Angling Trust and Peterborough & District Angling Association as guests. The full recording is now online, in chapters, with the slides and what to do this winter.

Applying this winter? We'll help with the application at no cost.

https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/cormorant-webinar-recording.html

The recording, the slides and what to do next this winter.

23/09/2026

One day to go. If your club or fishery is losing fish to cormorants, this is the one to be on

Tomorrow night we show you what to record this winter, and build a licence evidence pack on a real venue from scratch

Hydroscape holds 12,370 cormorant reports covering 71,749 birds counted. We'll show you what that data does: how one sighting becomes evidence, and how a fishery turns it into an area licence. P&DAA have done it and we'll walk through how.
Natural England are joining us on non-lethal methods and what they look for in an application. The Angling Trust are covering habitat and non-lethal work. Both are taking your questions

Ninety minutes, Thursday 24 September, 7pm. Recorded, so sign up even if you can't make it

Bring your water. Name it when you book and we'll look at it live

Sign up: https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/cormorant-webinar.html

20/09/2026

Four days to go. We'll show you what to record this winter and build a live licence evidence pack on a real venue, start to finish

Hydroscape holds 12,265 cormorant reports covering 70,897 birds. On Thursday we're showing you what that data does: what to record, how it becomes evidence, and how a fishery turns it into an area licence. P&DAA have done it and we'll walk through how

We've also got guests. Natural England are joining to cover non-lethal methods and what they look for in an application. The Angling Trust are covering habitat and non-lethal work.
Ninety minutes, Thursday 24 September, 7pm. Recorded, so sign up even if you can't make it

Bring your water. Name it when you book and we'll look at it live

https://www.hydroscape-group.co.uk/cormorant-webinar.html

If you want to make a real difference on your water this winter don't sign a petition, join the webinar

15/09/2026

Ninety minutes on cormorants. Thursday 24 September, 7pm

We've extended the time to allow for presentations and Q&A from Natural England, Angling Trust and P&DAA. The webinar is recorded so don't worry if you can't make it or stay for the full webinar. Sign up and we'll email the recording to everyone that registers

Natural England on non-lethal methods, and what they look for in a licence application. The Angling Trust on the benefits and application of habitat and non-lethal methods. A case study on getting an area licence. A live licence evidence pack on a real venue

Bring your water. Name it when you book and we'll look at it live

Inc. Natural England and the Angling Trust on cormorants.

14/09/2026

Many thanks Angling Times

Let's all get behind meaningful solutions

🚨 COULD ONE HOUR HELP PROTECT YOUR FISHERY? 🐟

Cormorants can have a huge impact on fish stocks, but accurate records from anglers and fishery managers can help build a clearer picture of what’s happening on our waters.

📅 Thursday 24 September | 7pm

Hydroscape Live is hosting a free online advice meeting covering:
✅ What to record this winter
✅ How to log sightings in under a minute at the bank
✅ Why reports from your fishery matter
✅ How your data can help protect your water

With 7,250 anglers and fishery managers already logging over 65,000 birds, and Natural England, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales engaged with the data, this is an opportunity to make your observations count.

💡 Name your water when booking and the team can check it out live.
Can’t make the meeting? Book anyway on the Hydroscape Group website – a recording will be sent by email.

👉 IT'S TOTALLY FREE! Will you be getting involved?