Cormorant monitoring

In 2016, the IINH took over monitoring the populations of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) and European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), which had since 1975 been carried out by Professor Arnþór Garðarsson at the University of Iceland. Breeding populations of great cormorants and shags are estimated on an annual basis from nest count data from aerial photography. Great cormorants are aged in September and February to monitor reproductive output and recruitment. The great cormorant breeding population was estimated at 4,481 nests in 2016, 4,671 nests in 2017, and 4,883 nests in 2018. The shag breeding population was estimated at 4,000 nests in 2016, 3,795 nests in 2017, and 2,732 in 2018.

IINH Contact: Guðmundur A. Guðmundsson