▲ Today`s white Geobukseom Island

There is one small island named Geobuksoem Island in Wonju's Hungup reservoir of Gangwon-do Province in South Korea. In the past, this island was dense, green, and vital at least before the herds of great cormorants visited and decided there as their "own" habitat. Today, because of so many great cormorants, the island becomes devastated and too silent.

▲ A great cormorant

A great cormorant, which has a black color all over its body, is up to one meter tall when it grows up. It is difficult for small birds to live next to it because it is large and collective. Other birds such as mandarin ducks, herons, and egrets living on the island disappeared without any trace because of it.

Also, the great cormorants eat so much amount like maximum as seven kilograms on a day per one bird. They are very good at submerging, so they can hunt fish two meters down under the water. Huge herds of them hunt fish at one time, so fishermen have lots of damages. They eat so much, so they leave excreta so much on the island. Eventually, the island lost other organisms and has only white strong acid excreta and a terrible stench.

The local government which is damaged by the great cormorants requested the Ministry of Environment to include them in vermin. And many residents near the habitats of them also had a protest about it. However, the answer of the Ministry of Environment was vague. That is it has to investigate the damage caused by the great cormorants until August this year and add more inquiries about accurate damages and habitat environment. By such no clear solution with some conflicts, the controversy about this matter seems last.

March 14, 2021

by Kim Hyeon