Your Otter problem

[Davemc1]

If I ever seen anyone angler or not, trap or shot an otter I would get the Police. Whoever you are.

[NigelT]

Dave,

 

I agree, but please bear in mind it is heart breaking to see your fishery distroyed, whilst the experts sit back doing nothing.

 

Are you the Dave Mc. who used to be involved with The Carp Society some years back?

[Davemc1]

NO I am the -------- from

[phil hackett]

Nigel

I have total sympathy with the problems your fishery has faced over this issue but I do find your following quote somewhat misleading.

“Our fishery is an oasis for wildlife, indeed if English Nature knew about some of the plants that we had they would immediately declare it an SSSI and stop us fishing….”

Whilst I’m not the greatest fan of EN, I know of no waters that have been closed by them when SSSI status has been bestowed on them. If and where it has happened, it is I suspect the owners that have closed them, probably because they have misunderstood the regulation. Or they have been scheduled for other reasons, such as rare mammals habitat, rare bird nesting sites, etc.

 

I also fish many of the Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire Meres, all of which are SSSI of longstanding and scheduled for multiple reasons . Locally the Rochdale Canal has recently been scheduled a SSSI for some of the rarest water plant nationally. There has not been any suggestion from them or BW that angling will cease on it because of this. And yes I asked the question.

 

There is also irrefutable scientific evidence that plant management for angling encourages species richness (Goulder R. (2000) Angling and Species Richness of Aquatic Macrophytes in Ponds. Freshwater Forum . Freshwater Biological Society. Ambleside. P. 71-77).

[NigelT]

Point taken Phil. However what we didn't want was interference from outside which could restrict our practices either in fishing or fishery management. After all it was the anglers that created the fishery.

[OP-JB]

English Nature are involved in sponsoring a `very fine gentleman` in the first `breeding` project to re-introduce E.N.W.C. Crayfish back into the wild. For a goverment org`, they aren`t all bad, but handle with extreame care (like `the fine gentlemans` crayfish).

 

Op -JB

[Vagabond]

When some so-called "animal rights" people released large numbers of mink into the wild, they were quite rightly condemned as irresponsible.

 

So what is different about releasing otters to the wild? (apart from the otters' superior PR, courtesy of Henry Williamson, Gavin Maxwell, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, as already suggested by Trent Barbeller)

 

BTW - it is not a valid argument to suggest mink is an "alien" species - European mink and American mink are related as sub-species, and European mink were once found in Britain.

 

It is not as if we are short of genuine wild otters - we have had them in the wilds of Sussex throughout (and of course before) my lifetime, but at a level the streams of the High Weald can support. Putting more otters into the environment simply means some have to go looking for alternative food supplies - like angling club waters, and hen houses. A farmer friend who had many times sat up for and shot predators on his chickens told me that for every dozen foxes shot, there are three or four badgers and a couple of otters.

 

Releasing animals to the wild without thought as to their food supply is irresponsible - and although there are half-joking references to wolves, bears and wild boar on this thread, there are people out there who are quite prepared to put wolves back into the wild in Britain.

 

One of their number, when asked about the problem with wolves vis-a-vis sheep, suggested that any farmer losing sheep would be offered free counselling.

 

Think about it - "FREE COUNSELLING" (expletive deleted) - that shows the sort of mind-set these people have.

 

Mind you, wolves are much more exciting to hunt than foxes. Traditional, too. Did you know that a huntsman urging his pack into a covert to draw for foxes uses the words "Lou in there, Lou in there!" The phrase is from the days when wolves were hunted in Britain - "Loupe" being the French for wolf.