Well, they've pretty much emptied the rivers.....

[chesters1]

12 hours ago, Tigger said:

One of the rivers I spoke of is only small Alan.

Regarding the fish still feeding while the otters were present, they obviously knew/sensed they weren't on the otters menu by it's actions.

I've seen the same thing with pike, fish buzzing about close to them feeding as though the pike wasn't there, so the fish must have an inert sense that the pike was in non predatory mode.

As I said, if there is no fish left in the river, why are the predators still there, they have to eat something and they won't live long on a few garden pond fish.

I think your right about pike (probably different for perch as they tend to be shoal fish) i have seen tiddlers happily feeding around a pike not only were they not bothered nor was the pike! (It surprised me they didnt even twich perhaps evolution has programmed them to resist ?)

Perhaps they get more wary when the pike are semi hiding and ofcourse not bothered at all when they are hiding completely,pike catch by surprise its much easier than chasing except for injured or sick fish the harder they try the more calories  they burn! using more than you gain is a slippery slope! The same seems to happen in Africa and lions the prey seems to know when its feeding time and become more wary and lions will pick the small and weak than expending energy trying to catch the fittest is again a slippery s!ope of wasting more than they gain.(i have often wondered if catching fish in the winter is wise perhaps they cannot recover the burnt calories if the water temperature drops and they become dormant?)

An old employers mate had a lake with a huge plate glass (about 8ft x 6ft) window in the side of it, part of my fortnightly job for him was using a magnetic glass cleaner to clean it ,i expended more time watching the fish than cutting the lawn and often it was dusk by the time i had finished my job there i guess the last stripes were a little bent

[Chris Plumb]

Now coming to your garden pond...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-63192608

 

[Peterjg]

Otters are everywhere now, I see them regularly on the Thames and Kennet very often in broad daylight not just at night.  What with sewerage pollution, abstraction, fertilisers, signal crayfish, etc, it's a wonder we ever catch anything!

Question: does the EA really care?  Answer: no they are just yet another government department!

[Chris Plumb]

Ooops!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-64666850

 

 

[chesters1]

All we have to do now is train otters to kill mink and mink kill Cray fish and the circles complete !

[Chris Plumb]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-64721155

 

[Martin56]

On 2/20/2023 at 8:48 AM, chesters1 said:

All we have to do now is train otters to kill mink and mink kill Cray fish and the circles complete !

At least Otters will eat a whole fish, whereas Mink will kill a fish, eat only the brain (leaving the rest of the body on the bank) then quickly go & kill another!! - I've seen the evidence a few times at my local commercials!!