FISH FARMING AND PREDATORS – AN ONGOING CONFLICT

In the established definition adopted by the FAO, aquaculture involves, in addition to private ownership of stocks, their protection from predators. Among the oldest conflicts between fish farmers and predators is that with fish-eating birds, the most formidable of which, in terms of damage caused and adaptability, are cormorants. This paper analyses the history of this conflict, the causes that have intensified and exacerbated it, the solutions proposed over time, and the recent approach that aims to maintain a balance between the need to conserve biodiversity and the objectives of economic and social sustainability in aquaculture.