Healthy Rivers

[Jeffwill]

I have read this week that the Water Vole is about to be granted extra protection under Law as its numbers have drastically reduced in recent years. I think all anglers will support this Government action.

 

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Cormorants. I have seen a number on the river wye recently which no doubt are enjoying the flourishing fish stocks which are a direct result of cleaner water.

 

The Government, Environment Agency, Anglers Conservation Association, to name but a a few should be applauded for their work in reducing pollution and ensuring our rivers are cleaner than ever before.

 

The cormorants were protected under Law to help their numbers recover. I think this has been achieved!

 

I also note another specie, the otter, that has been protected and for good reason as its numbers were low. Over the past year I have never seen so many (their tracks and seen them hunting in daylight) and heard from other anglers of many, on our rivers, ponds and lakes. Their numbers are recovering quickly and I wonder if anyone has any positive or negative feedback on this. Personally I feel that a balance should be struck.

 

Fish take years to mature and for stocks to build up? The fish seem to have very little thought or protection from publicly funded organisations, i.e. org's funded by anglers

[Guest tigger]

I have read this week that the Water Vole is about to be granted extra protection under Law as its numbers have drastically reduced in recent years. I think all anglers will support this Government action.

 

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Cormorants. I have seen a number on the river wye recently which no doubt are enjoying the flourishing fish stocks which are a direct result of cleaner water.

 

The Government, Environment Agency, Anglers Conservation Association, to name but a a few should be applauded for their work in reducing pollution and ensuring our rivers are cleaner than ever before.

 

The cormorants were protected under Law to help their numbers recover. I think this has been achieved!

 

I also note another specie, the otter, that has been protected and for good reason as its numbers were low. Over the past year I have never seen so many (their tracks and seen them hunting in daylight) and heard from other anglers of many, on our rivers, ponds and lakes. Their numbers are recovering quickly and I wonder if anyone has any positive or negative feedback on this. Personally I feel that a balance should be struck.

 

Fish take years to mature and for stocks to build up? The fish seem to have very little thought or protection from publicly funded organisations, i.e. org's funded by anglers

 

 

Them bloody Otters there breeding like mad, there everwhere, I'm sick of them eating all the fish lets kill em all !!!

 

By the way you say cormorants are enjoying fish stocks which are a direct result of cleaner water...........who polluted the water systems killing the fish in the first place........mmmm...........I don't think it was the birds or the Otters.

Edited March 4, 2008 by tigger

[lutra]

I have read this week that the Water Vole is about to be granted extra protection under Law as its numbers have drastically reduced in recent years. I think all anglers will support this Government action.

 

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Cormorants. I have seen a number on the river wye recently which no doubt are enjoying the flourishing fish stocks which are a direct result of cleaner water.

 

The Government, Environment Agency, Anglers Conservation Association, to name but a a few should be applauded for their work in reducing pollution and ensuring our rivers are cleaner than ever before.

 

The cormorants were protected under Law to help their numbers recover. I think this has been achieved!

 

I also note another specie, the otter, that has been protected and for good reason as its numbers were low. Over the past year I have never seen so many (their tracks and seen them hunting in daylight) and heard from other anglers of many, on our rivers, ponds and lakes. Their numbers are recovering quickly and I wonder if anyone has any positive or negative feedback on this. Personally I feel that a balance should be struck.

 

Fish take years to mature and for stocks to build up? The fish seem to have very little thought or protection from publicly funded organisations, i.e. org's funded by anglers

 

I think you will find that the cormorant numbers are down still, its just that a large number of them have come inland because there are no fish left in the sea. Something the goverment hasn't got the guts to sort out.

 

As for rivers being healthy.

 

OK, maybe a bit cleaner than in the last few hundred years but Just two weeks ago when i was fishing on the mid Ribble i had to kick a sanitary towel off my rig when i brought it in. Another of my local rivers is the river Darwen, a river that back in the 1600's was said to be one of the best sea trout rivers in the country. When i was a kid it was just an open sewer, however it has seen a slight improvement in recent years as it doesnt smell quite as much, and even has a few small fish these days. But i don't think it will ever see a sea trout again.

 

On the River Darwen the water company gets fined a few times a year when the sewage-works over flows due to heavy rain and pollutes the river. Sadly its seems to be cheaper for them to keep paying the fines than to sort the problem out. This and other kinds of problems are still too common from the water companies all over the country and i think it is time the gutless government stepped in and put the fines up.

 

For me a clean river would mean you can drink the water and there are not too many rivers like that.

[John Weddup]

I personally think the otter situation is a bit like the pike situation.

 

The natural environment will sustain a certain level of predators before fish stocks get low and predator numbers decline. The problem we have at the moment with otters is they are not so much breeding out there but are being breed in captivity and released in large numbers.

 

The fish stocks will suffer and the otters will die until a sustainable level of predator and feed remains. Why do the agencies who keep seeking publicity about how wonderfull it is to see otters again not consider their long term survival and food stocks.My local bbc radio often does reports how wonderfull it is to see otters again.

 

Maybe if those agencies that release the otters paid for large numbers of course fish to be released in our waters to continue the food chain we could understand the logic but to release so many without considering their food chain seems to me ridiculous if not cruel.

 

John

[Newt]

With the exception of man and the animals he keeps as pets, the wild is ... well, er, wild.

 

The strong, fast, wary, well adapted survive and the weak, slow, careless, poorly adapted do not. This leaves the strong, etc. to breed and hopefully improve their species.

 

Given the high probability of a Malthusian solution to the excess of people and the fact that our pets will then consist of useful animals with a loss of the purely decorative, the issue being discussed here will cease to be an issue.

 

Populations of preds and prey will shrink to sustainable levels.

 

Until that time we will continue to see the cute, fuzzy, lovable species protected and enjoying population explosions at the expense of less cute, lovable, etc. species.

 

If you want fish protected, make fish popular with your citizens who do not fish. Given that they are cold blooded, water dwelling, and a bit slimy when handled, it will not be easy.

[lutra]

I personally think the otter situation is a bit like the pike situation.

 

The natural environment will sustain a certain level of predators before fish stocks get low and predator numbers decline. The problem we have at the moment with otters is they are not so much breeding out there but are being breed in captivity and released in large numbers.

 

The fish stocks will suffer and the otters will die until a sustainable level of predator and feed remains. Why do the agencies who keep seeking publicity about how wonderfull it is to see otters again not consider their long term survival and food stocks.My local bbc radio often does reports how wonderfull it is to see otters again.

 

Maybe if those agencies that release the otters paid for large numbers of course fish to be released in our waters to continue the food chain we could understand the logic but to release so many without considering their food chain seems to me ridiculous if not cruel.

 

John

 

Seems to be a lot of selfish narrow minded lovers of one kind of animal out there, even happens in fishing (game, coarse, pike).

 

Should think it would be very hard to balance up the food by putting a large number of coarse fish back in, as it would just unbalance it somewhere else. A little bit of common sense in the first place would be better and just add a couple of pairs to a suitable river system and see how they get on.

 

As for these carp waters Ive heard complaining about an otter taking fish. Well lets just say they get no sympathy from me. Just have to put a fence up like a zoo does or a chicken farmer.

[yorkio]

The problem we have at the moment with otters is they are not so much breeding out there but are being breed in captivity and released in large numbers.

 

Are you sure about that? I know that there were releases in the 80s and 90s but I haven't heard of anyone doing it for some time now. Maybe I've just not been paying attention, but I'd be curious to know what sort of numbers we're talking about.

[Guest tigger]

I'm also interested to know a few more statistics. There are no otters around here (East Sussex) but there are minks. To me it looks like the cormorants are on the increase though (but then, so are the fish).

 

Is a river ever likely to be clean enough to drink, seeing as how most will have cattle entering them at some point?

Many of the day trippers who swim in the Sussex Ouse end up sick. I gave up swimming in it when I discovered that 38 major Sewage Treatment Works poured in treated waste.

Yuk!

 

MC

 

 

Yeah and when the rivers are in flood they're allowed to discharge raw sewage in them. That's why there's tammys and who knows what else hung in the trees after a flood.

[lutra]

Is a river ever likely to be clean enough to drink, seeing as how most will have cattle entering them at some point?

 

No, but i don't think its unreasonable to expect water companies who get payed to treat sewage to keep it out of the rivers. I could except an unforeseeable accident, but they are taking the mickey and the money on this one.

[lutra]

to show my point

 

Heads should be rolling for this kind of thing.

Edited March 4, 2008 by lutra