Umbrian hunting federation alongside the fishermen and the communities of Trasimene. Thanks to the commitment of our managers Paolo Terrosi and Claudio Sabini, in recent days Umbrian hunting federation - in the persons of the president Simone Petturiti, the regional secretary Giampiero Morosi and Terrosi himself - met Valter Sembolini and Ivo Bianconi, respectively managing director and vice president of the Pescatori del Trasimeno cooperative - born in the 1928 - and president of the Stella del Lago fishermen cooperative, with over 72 years of activity. The theme of the meeting, which took place via videoconference for obvious reasons related to the pandemic still in progress, was the long-standing and serious problem of the excessive, anomalous presence of cormorants in the waters and along the banks of the Trasimeno.
The species, as known, belongs to the aquatic avifauna and is protected by the birds directive of theEuropean Union and by Italian laws and regulations, which make it subject to "special conservation measures". The hunting of the cormorant is, by law, "always forbidden". Given the above, the hundreds of cormorants that live in Trasimeno, in addition to feeding on considerable quantities of fish, they cause - with their manure - environmental disfigurement of the waters and coasts. At night, dozens and even hundreds gather on the trees that line the lake, leaving a whitish crust as a souvenir, as can be seen from the image taken atMinor Island.
The most serious problem that these excrements cause is the proliferation of eustrongylides, a parasite with a vermiform and reddish appearance that settles on the bottom of the lake, entering the life cycle of the fish. This parasite penetrates the musculature of the fish and grows inside, until it reaches the 4-5 centimeters in length, forming a small bubble filled with pus at one end. In addition to being a health problem, the inconvenience is obviously also of a commercial and catering nature, also affecting sport fishing throughout the Trasimeno area. The presidents of the two cooperatives illustrated, in a heated and precise manner, all the problems that their economic activities run into, which count dozens of employees, also summarizing the documents already produced to the administrations to seek a solution to the problem.
In this regard, they have already involved the European Commission, the National Environment Commission, with medium-term projects Morroni and Coletto regional councilors and the Local Health Authority 1. President Petturiti, already aware of the problem present in other bodies of water already extensively plundered by cormorants, showed interest and guaranteed support and collaboration from Federcaccia, to seek a solution in the rural communities of the lake and for the whole region. "Despite being very limited by the hunting ban present in many lake areas - continued the president - we will give the same commitment for this as for other problems caused by invasive species in uncontrolled increase, hoping that all the parties involved will push, each according to their skills, to ensure that the Trasimeno returns to its splendid appearance rich in traditions".