Most people who visit the archipelago have seen the ghostly islands of dead trees that have been taken over by cormorant colonies. The stench of bird droppings is palpable. Since the mid-nineties, the cormorant population in Sweden has increased from about 5,000 to 40,000 pairs.
But according to many who work with the sea and wildlife, these birds cause far worse problems than those we humans experience above the surface.
The mid-cormorant is a hot topic of debate in the archipelago. What should be done about the problems it causes? And where does it come from originally?