Angling Trust acts to relocate seal to protect Severn fish stocks

[Elton]

http://www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?section=890&sectionTitle=Severn+Seal

[Worms]

or, gis a link.

 

...under "recent posts by others" Barry

 

https://www.facebook.com/savetheseal/posts/475409372496931?notif_t=like

Edited January 20, 2013 by Worms

[barry luxton]

yup got that Nick thanks. Stole this comment from the angling trust's facebook page before it's deleted.

 

quote: Steve Trewhella Are you the same Angling Trust that wants to wipe out Cormorants , and would rather Otters were not back on our rivers ?, this gamekeeper approach to so called ' conservation ' belongs in the dark ages , our rivers and water ways , and the wildlife, including fish, do not belong to anglers, Seals often go far up rivers , this is a big deal , one Seal will not wipe everything out , it should not be relocated for the sake of a few selfish people and an organisation that acts on their behalf , if anglers want to stock rivers and lakes with bloated introduced fish , only to sit under a brolly all day hauling them out for fun , they also have to accept the local wildlife will want to do its thing , relocating and shooting things is out of order, and will isolate anglers and angling as a blood sport , even more , it is no different to land owners shooting birds of prey to protect a few pheasants , you will have a fight on your hands , the likes of which you have never seen , social media is a powerful thing , and you will damn the very thing you represent .

[barry luxton]

The Ruddy Duck isn't native to the UK, and isn't in any immediate danger in its natural range, so what's the problem? Indeed, well done, the species is no longer here. The cull was judged necessary to protect the genetic integrity of a threatened European species, doesn't matter if a few people who didn't understand objected.

 

Mental note to remember the comments above when goosander, cormorants and carp are on the angling trusts campaign agenda

Edited January 21, 2013 by barry luxton

[Latimeria]

You mean this one? "I bet that if the seal had been hitting the wild bird population, the RSPB would be wanting the same done."? And would you tell us what is nonsensical about it? Why would they not want it removed if it was eating all the birds?

 

How about this statement - the RSPB is a two-faced organisation who will shake anglers by the hand when it suits them, then stab them in the back at the first opportunity.

 

Unfortunately they have a large membership and lots of money and power behind them, and we need an equally powerful group to represent angling. Equally unfortunately, ours seems to have scored an own-goal with the seal. Best leave it to return to the sea by itself, assuming it doesn't become food for our eastern European friends first.

 

Perhaps because they accept that predation by a native animal is not an issue for non-threatened species? Can you cite a single referenced instance to support your statement? Now the seal has knocked-off a few crappy bread-begging mallard perhaps we'll find out.

 

I agreed absolutely with the last paragraph, right up until the pointless mention of eastern Europeans (unless there's been an influx of far north-eastern Europeans into the area?)

[John S]

Perhaps because they accept that predation by a native animal is not an issue for non-threatened species? Can you cite a single referenced instance to support your statement? Now the seal has knocked-off a few crappy bread-begging mallard perhaps we'll find out.

 

Pity it wasn't a few ospreys, then we'd see how lovey-dovey the RSPB can be to native animals

[Latimeria]

Pity it wasn't a few ospreys, then we'd see how lovey-dovey the RSPB can be to native animals

 

You'll have to help me out, I don't speak "obscure muttering".

 

Unless you're attempting to make an issue of the fact that it's good conservation practice to limit negative pressures wherever possible (including predation) on the reproduction of those species which have been taken to perilously low levels (from a genetics viewpoint) by human activities? This, of course, is only worth doing if some steps have been taken to alleviate those anthropogenic pressures.

[Worms]

I can't make my mind up on the seal question. Ok, they're not normally resident in the Severn this far up but, it got there naturally and so can presumably get back to the sea naturally. Quite a few have been muttering about weirs and locks preventing it from returning to the sea but, as we all know, seals are quite capable of hauling up and moving about on land. Having read so much of the drivel (from all parties) posted on the FB page I think I'm largely in the camp of "Leave it alone and see what happens" after all, this is arguably evolution in progress...it either works or it doesn't.

 

The AT's comments about shooting it are well, just more typical AT crap that they feel it compulsory to spout every few months just to incense non-anglers against anglers.

 

Some of the anglers' comments about removing it because it's eating specimen sized barbel and carp are just as odd, the seal got their naturally, the carp and barbel didn't!

[John S]

You'll have to help me out, I don't speak "obscure muttering".

 

It was a tongue in cheek comment, I'm sorry it it went way over your head

[Phone]

Lat,

 

I understood John. It's your ignominious comment I'm struggling with. Perhaps you can point out just one single example, no matter how remote, anthropogenic events aren't 100% involved on this planet.

 

I hate this, while it is not in my backyard, I have to agree with Worms. (that's twice already this year)

 

Phone