PAC FURY OVER NUDD'S CALL FOR PIKE CULL

[Elton]

More details here:

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/News/pac_bob_nudd_151006.html

[Leon Roskilly]

They never seem to understand that a mature pike population is as good as it gets.

 

10% pike to total fish biomass is what nature intends, and by God she'll fight to maintain that whatever man does.

 

Start 'thinning' them and nature hits back by going into pike expansion overdrive, producing plenty of hungry jacks so that some of them will grow to replace the 'lost' pike.

 

Pike are one of our oldest fish species, and over the millions of years of evolution of survival strategy, the pike have evolved to live in a particular balance with it's food availability in often enclosed waters where, if pike get it wrong, they will make themselves extinct.

 

And it's not just limiting pike numbers by self-predation to attain Maximum Sustainable Yield of pike, but by keeping predation at a constant rate, pike also maintain Maximum Sustainable Yield of the prey, taking out weak and sick fish, balancing the numbers of insectivorous fish with insect impacts on weed growth etc, and generally keeping both the water and the fish it contains in a healthy state.

 

Then along comes someone like Bob Nuddd!!

 

 

(See also: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Coarse-Fishing...e_for_pike.html )

Edited October 15, 2006 by Leon Roskilly

[gozzer]

The sad thing is that Bob is held in such high regard by some, that it will be taken as the thing to do.

 

If this statement is true, (it is the News of the World after all) then he has certainly gone down in my estimations.

I notice there was no mention of a carp cull, they are spreading into every available damp patch. IMO, this is much more detrimental to 'silver' fish stocks than predation from pike!

[Vagabond]

Good post Leon

 

There is also good stuff by Bruno Broughton at

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Miscellaneous-...pike_culls.html

 

Its worth taking the trouble to read Bruno's piece, and perhaps print it off and send a copy to Mr Nudd c/o the paper he writes for.

[Peter Waller]

If Nudd is concerned about the depletion of fish stocks then he should seek a ban on keepnets on all rivers, and match anglers swinging in their catch so they can grab it between their knees whilst they unhook it rather than putting their pole/rod down. Instant de-sliming, grrrrrr.

Edited October 15, 2006 by Peter Waller

[Crackin Clax]

I cannot believe that such a fishing idol such as himself would have the stupidity to say such a thing. Pike and other silverfish cause equalibrium between the ecosystem and have matured a steady balance over hundreds of years. If Nudd cares so much about the depleting fish stocks then why does he cram 300lb of fish into a keep net for a whole day. I am not against using keep nets(to a certian extent) but believe that cramming that amount of fish into a net on such a regular basis is surely more dangerous to the fish than a few natural predators????

[Paul33]

Give me a river full of pike than a river full of match fishermen anytime.

 

At least the pike serve a useful purpose !!!

[Ken L]

We've had Dave Harrell chucking pike up the bank at Edgbaston Reseviour and now this.

Not content with turning a significant proportion of the countries stillwater into muddy holes filled with Pasty sized carp, the match brigade now want pike "thinned out" on the few natural waters left to fish.

Ignorance and arrogance in equal measure.

Edited October 15, 2006 by Ken L

[Newt]

The comments do seem like a very dumb thing for a well known angler like Mr. Nudd to say.

 

However, condeming all anglers who fish matches because of Bob Nudd's public statement seems a bit unfair.

[bingo]

Maybe Nuddy could invite some Polish anglers to his favourite stretches????????

 

And people wonder why there are so many divisions in the angling community.........

 

Great post by Leon.

 

I cannot believe Nudd would say something like this.

 

When are matchmen going to realise that pike aren't a problem?

 

I was speaking to the President of a local angling club recently and he was saying how they were in the process of adding extra stock to a lake. He said something along the lines of "the pike will probably eat most of them though." ................ He is a matchman.

 

Now bear in mind that there are hardly any pike in this lake, if any. No one fishes it for pike. They tried to remove them all some time ago and put them into a local canal. What struck me about El Presidente was that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box and there he was spouting untruths and also telling me how great the club's new featureless, pastie-filled puddle lakes were.