OVER a hundred nests and dozens of chicks of the protected Cape cormorant were allegedly wiped out when an old Russian fishing vessel, the Ulan, that lay in the Walvis Bay enclave, was towed to a scrap yard on Friday.
The vessel had not only become an important breeding site for the birds, but also an important attraction to marine eco-tourism operators.
Reliable sources told The Namibian that a decision to scrap the Ulan came unexpectedly, not giving any time to ensure the well-being of the birds.
The decision also came during the birds’ breeding season, which lasts until the end of summer. As a result, hundreds of adult birds were allegedly driven from their nests that held defenceless chicks.
Speculations are that there may have been up to 200 chicks on the vessel when the salvage operation started.
‘The parents abandoned the nests and their chicks. What happened to the chicks, we don’t know. All we know is that they could not have flown away from the threat,’ the source, who inspected the site, told The Namibian.
According to the source, there were only five chicks left in three nests when the boat was moored in the harbour.
‘Little can be done to help these chicks. They have to be hand-raised and this will cost a lot of time and money. If the owners had notified us before the time, we could have put measures in place to save the colony.
‘They could have at least waited until the end of summer before scrapping the boat; it’s been lying there for so long already, it would not have made a difference to leave it a little longer,’ the source said.
According Buks de Koker, spokesperson for the owner of the vessel, water was leaking into the ship, and it was advised that it should be scrapped.
He told The Namibian that his company did notify the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources of their intention, and that they received the go ahead.
‘They said the birds left on their own accord, and that we were permitted to move the vessel. We were not going to allow the vessel to sink there; then we would have the whole world on our backs,’ De Koker said.
According to the Marine Resources Act, cormorants (among many other seabirds) may not be killed or disturbed on land, or any platform; except by special permission from Government.
If accidental injury or death does take place, those responsible need to report the incident to the relevant authorities.
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