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Barbel society

You won't get much in the way of the truth when you do get one Tom!
 
Given Billy Liar's (Steve Pope) record for orchestrating things away from the Committee, I think Lawrence Breakspear is the man you need to speak to now Graham.
From what I understand though, they are now more of a pressure group, so if that work wasn't completed it might be questionable as to whether it will.
 
The BS does tend to polarise opinion, Jeff. I'm not a member, however, if nothing else (and I have no opinion either way), the regional get togethers are a good event. Non-members can attend for a small fee.
 
Richard Parsons said:
The BS does tend to polarise opinion, Jeff. I'm not a member, however, if nothing else (and I have no opinion either way), the regional get togethers are a good event. Non-members can attend for a small fee.
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Yes Richard, I have no doubt. I think once you get with anglers of the same mind set and not someone who only fishes from there PC you would have a great evening.
 
It was a serious query. Interested in the outcomes.

A lot of money including that earned from Auctions has been invested.
 
Looked through a lot of bs stuff both positive and negative. ...what I don't understand is it that the positions of the bs not get voted in democratically?
 
Hasn't actually answered my query Tony.

Someone must know something about the Teme phd work at least. Is it ongoing. Any outcomes?
 
Thank you Joe. I was aware of many of the projects. Always admired the drive PR had in instigating many of them

Do you have any knowledge of the outcomes?
 
Graham Elliott said:
Thank you Joe. I was aware of many of the projects. Always admired the drive PR had in instigating many of them

Do you have any knowledge of the outcomes?
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These type of studies are usually carried out over a number if years, so this one may well have time to run, it will also take a while to write- up and go through the peer-review process as well.

I've PM'd you the researchers email address - ask her maybe?

Cheers,

Joe
 
Teme PHD work still in full swing Graham...Catie will answer any questions you have, and likewise take down any catch info, or other offerings you have too. I believe Joe has forwarded her contact details to you.
 
I am sorry to say Graham , I don't have any knowledge of the out come .

A lot of people don't seem to understand the time and the money the BS undertakes to fund all this research . Perhaps if they took the time and trouble to find out what the BS was all about . Its all there on there website . Then perhaps people would not be so quick to knock it
 
Graham Elliott said:
Hasn't actually answered my query Tony.

Someone must know something about the Teme phd work at least. Is it ongoing. Any outcomes?
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The 2018 Barbel Show in June, Cattie the river Teme PHD student who was sponsored by the Barbel Society, the EA and the Severn rivers trust gave an update of her study of barbel numbers in teme, and in conclusion she stated, that as the Teme as an SSI, her study has shown, there are no water quality issues on the Teme, no habitat issues, no lack of suitable spawning sites and no abstraction issues that would affect the barbels ability to thrive. So that leaves one thing, as I have been saying for years PREDATION.

This points to Cormorants, Meganzers and our Apex friend the Otter, the Otters effect on the Temes barbel, Chub, Bream and Pike population has been catastrophic, the Barbel has suffered the most because the way the Otter targets the larger slower females, the egg producers, when an Otter takes a 10 pound barbel, it doesn't take a good fish its takes 150,000 eggs out of the system every year that barbel may have lived for, before it was killed.

As I have always said, it doesnt matter how clean, how perfect your river is, without a broodstock of barbel the species has little chance, with the average ratio of male barbel to female being 7 to 1 in most rivers, and the fact that males live shorter lives than the females you can see how a barbel population can collapse very quickly, almost a season to season event if most of the females are lost to predation, the Teme, the Bristol Avon and the Kennett are good examples of this. This time of year is when the Barbel is at its most vulnerable as they move to more to shallower areas, tributaries and weir pools to spawn, these area become the killing fields for the Otter, the damage is immeasurable.
 
Thank you Lol.
Having read the in depth report on gravel cleaning effectiveness on the Ouse, ie. Not. And considering the multiple long term clean areas on the Kennet and Loddon. ( despite the incorrect untrue feedback given to PR from my escorting EA people to show them no problem existed)

It was fairly obvious to me, as a Kennet / Loddon fisher that gravel beds were not a problem.

I do believe the serious flooding in July was a serious event during weakened spawned out fish. This was the first real indication of lowered levels of barbel stocks on southern /midland affected rivers.
This combined with increased predation did not allow for stocks to recover.

The increased predation will continue to have a negative effect
as rivers decline and predators relocate to richer rivers.

I'm interested to find out if the 1 - 2lb barbel that showed in large numbers on the Wye are showing this season in numbers.
The river was full of goosanders this year, groups of 20 plus some days.
 
Cheers Graham...i have spoken to many regular Wye barbel anglers and without a doubt the barbel are in decline, but there are still enough to be caught.....at the moment, but the Wyes barbel population is showing the same signs other rivers previously have, where there barbel population's have since collapsed or declined to a point of no return, John Bailey delivered a passionate talk at the Barbel Society show on June 3rd 2018, where he spoke of his beloved Wensum, showed us again another river that has a perfect environment, but who's barbel population has collapsed because of over predation by cormorants and otters
 
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