Firecrackers used to control cormorant colony in Juodkrantė

Authorities in Lithuania have resumed using firecrackers to disrupt nesting cormorants in Juodkrantė, aiming to control the bird population’s impact on local fisheries and forests, LRT reports.

After a one-year pause, conservation workers have restarted the practice of detonating firecrackers near the colony to scare off nesting pairs. The noise causes adult cormorants to abandon their nests temporarily, leaving eggs to cool and preventing hatching. Around 3,000 breeding pairs currently occupy the site on the Curonian Spit, a figure that could triple without intervention, according to ornithologists.

The Environment Ministry justified the decision by citing the birds’ excessive pressure on fish stocks in the Curonian Lagoon and damage to forest ecosystems. “The impact on fisheries, fish resources, and the lagoon was deemed too significant, and the forest continues to suffer,” said ornithologist Saulius Rumbutis. While the colony’s size remained stable during the hiatus, earlier control efforts had previously reduced numbers from over 4,000 pairs.

Unchecked cormorant droppings—highly acidic—weaken trees, eventually causing branches to break. Younger forests are particularly vulnerable. Despite the disruption, the abandoned nesting areas have become havens for insects, rare lichens, fungi, and even foxes, while drawing tourists. “We face the same issues in Germany. My brother, a hunter, understands the ecological damage, but the sight is still impressive and beautiful,” noted a German visitor.

Lithuania hosts about ten cormorant colonies, though only the largest, like Juodkrantė, are actively managed. Experts consider egg-cooling the most humane method, as destroying nests or shooting birds is prohibited. Alternative approaches elsewhere include oiling eggs in Denmark to prevent hatching or culling birds near fish farms. Without intervention, displaced cormorants have established new colonies in the Nemunas Delta (over 4,000 pairs) and near Plazė Lake (around 1,000 pairs).