Angling Trust call for otter management

[Steve Walker]

We have two situations - people with established otter populations coexisting with good fisheries, and people with new otter populations reporting problems.

 

I think those problems will go away in time, and you will also have good fisheries with established otters, but that there may be some disruption in the meantime. I think there may be certain situations which are reliant on the artificial absence of natural predators, and which will not be possible, but I think that will be the exception.

 

Realistically, what do you want to happen? You are not going to be able to have the otters killed or removed - most people think wildlife is more important than angling.

[Worms]

Just a little information for those who doubt that any fish will remain after otters have become established, this is a link to

the SAC (Special Area of Conservation) designation for the River Wye.

http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACs...UCode=UK0012642

 

1355 Otter Lutra lutra

The Wye holds the densest and most well-established otter Lutra lutra population in Wales, representative of otters occurring in lowland freshwater habitats in the borders of Wales. The river has bank-side vegetation cover, abundant food supply, clean water and undisturbed areas of dense scrub suitable for breeding, making it particularly favourable as otter habitat. The population remained even during the lowest point of the UK decline, confirming that the site is particularly favourable for this species and the population likely to be highly stable.

 

Even though they ate Jeff's big shoal of aged chub (sorry Jeff ) they seem to have missed a lot of the other fish.

 

The river is beautiful, the scenery is stunning and the fishing is excellent. Even Mr. Crabtree raved about it! The otters are part of the make-up of the river and why it works. Ok, not everybody is fortunate enough to live near it or fish it, or just walk the banks but, this is how rivers should be. Campaigning for river habitat restoration is the way to improve fishing and also as a way to be seen as "guardians of the waterways". Not culling every species of our native wildlife that depends on fish for survival.

 

Simplistic maybe but true.

[gozzer]

Realistically, what do you want to happen? You are not going to be able to have the otters killed or removed - most people think wildlife is more important than angling.

 

This is 'the rub', most people do (quite rightly) regard wildlife as more important than angling. Me as an angler on the other hand, regard angling and wildlife equally important. They are both the same to me, one complements the other. I hear on this, and other forums that we as anglers should regard fish as something 'special', but surely they are only one piece of the jigsaw? The whole angling 'experience' is made up of the the connection between our quarry and the environment that surrounds it. I read on one forum recently, that one of the things we should do to deter cormorants, was to cut down the trees in the vicinity of the fishery, so they wouldn't have a perch to dry off on! This is the type of thinking that seems all too common among some of those that only think of angling as "how many' and "how big" as the only criteria to enjoyment of angling.

 

I sometimes struggle to recognise the pastime/hobby that has been my passion for nearly 60yrs.

 

John.

[Steve Walker]

To be honest, John, I think that there are some anglers (not necessarily anyone round here) who, given the choice of fishing in a natural water or a stocked indoor swimming pool, would ask "what's in it?" .

[Worms]

Blimey, 7 hours without a post, is there something interesting on the box?

[watatoad]

Do you know I am getting really tired of cull this cull that, poor hard done by commercial fisheries. I am making no more comments on the 'cull rubbish' nor the poor old 'commercial owners' nor the useless AT nor the Fishing Press nor the overstocking. I want to chat about fish, fishing, tackle, places to fish and that's it. Otherwise I can see a massive thread coming up about super sized kingfishers eating 40lb carp next

[Rusty]

Blimey, 7 hours without a post, is there something interesting on the box?

 

The only time I can remember such a lull was during the ladies beach volleyball last Olympics.

[Worms]

The only time I can remember such a lull was during the ladies beach volleyball last Olympics.

Why? Was it a close match?

[Vagabond]

Why? Was it a close match?

 

Well, they did bump into each other a time or two

[wunnus]

Could we as anglers reintroduce any spare otters to the Otter trust etc so that they could reintroduce them into the wild.

BINGO

There are more of us than them, so with just a little bit of effort we start a tradition of humanely trapping said otters and dropping them off at the trust, or the nearest Wildlife centre. Otters usually look a little lost so we could rightfully claim that they had no home etc. The otter friendly group would then feed and house them before their release and begin the process of associating food with an animal centre. if we keep this up long enough the animals will change their behaviours.

 

We as anglers should be starting a campaign to help otters learn to read, perhaps based at these wildlife centres where the otters are being returned to. I have not seen any research but I should think that the indicators (library membership figures, magazine subsriptions etc) must look like there is a problem. Then when the literacy rate is higher we can put out a lot of signs eg otter free zone etc.

 

Simples

 

Then we can get cracking on the cormorants. (Has anyone had a go with a garden cane and string yet as in the advert?)