Martin Salter blog

[Dave Taylor]

Sorry guys, but I still think any further research as to the impact of otter predation is irrelevant. We know otters eat fish but it's almost impossible to prove population decline of any riverine fish species, let alone prove Tarka is responsible, As I previously said,... we can't count barbel numbers like bird counts.
I've absolutely no faith in EA fish surveys as they are often taken at favourable locations which can give a skewed impression of a river's wellbeing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Heligan-disappearing-fish-mystery-solved.html

I saw this a couple of days ago,... no surprise that otters eat koi of course, and the reaction from NT staff was typical of public opinion, i.e. despite the loss of their fish, it was perceived as a wonderful event to capture so others can appreciate this beautiful creature. It almost seems as if they would be willing to keep restocking koi to attract the main act,.. rather like feeding sardines to seals at Sea Life.
Even if we can prove inconclusively that otters were decimating barbel stocks, it will cut absolutely no ice with the public perception of an otter's wellbeing being sacrosanct.
Most of us suspect that there are other factors affecting recruitment of barbel numbers in our rivers , predation being just one part of the jigsaw.

 

[Graham Elliott]

Quite True Dave.

Reference research. Surely the Teme was a good place to start. Its 2-3 years down the road already. Awaiting outcomes.

 

[Joe Winstanley]

Sorry guys, but I still think any further research as to the impact of otter predation is irrelevant. We know otters eat fish but it's almost impossible to prove population decline of any riverine fish species, let alone prove Tarka is responsible, As I previously said,... we can't count barbel numbers like bird counts.
I've absolutely no faith in EA fish surveys as they are often taken at favourable locations which can give a skewed impression of a river's wellbeing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Heligan-disappearing-fish-mystery-solved.html

I saw this a couple of days ago,... no surprise that otters eat koi of course, and the reaction from NT staff was typical of public opinion, i.e. despite the loss of their fish, it was perceived as a wonderful event to capture so others can appreciate this beautiful creature. It almost seems as if they would be willing to keep restocking koi to attract the main act,.. rather like feeding sardines to seals at Sea Life.
Even if we can prove inconclusively that otters were decimating barbel stocks, it will cut absolutely no ice with the public perception of an otter's wellbeing being sacrosanct.
Most of us suspect that there are other factors affecting recruitment of barbel numbers in our rivers , predation being just one part of the jigsaw.

I totally agree with your last two points Dave, but equally if future research were to suggest or prove that predation wasn't as big a factor as many anglers believe (which I believe is probably the case) then it might enable some of the other major issues to be addressed.

 

[Dave Taylor]

I totally agree with your last two points Dave, but equally if future research were to suggest or prove that predation wasn't as big a factor as many anglers believe (which I believe is probably the case) then it might enable some of the other major issues to be addressed.

As usual, my post was badly crafted and misspelled!
I agree Joe and Graham that there are other important issues afoot, but I do believe that predation, especially from Cormorants has made a significant impact, but I can't prove it.
Daft really, because we can count the birds and we know how much they can eat each day but can't prove it's not sustainable.
Its easy to see how many salmon go through the Knapp Mill fish counter on the Avon each season, but we can't put numbers on barbel or roach in the river.
Old time regulars will know that trotting a gallon of maggots in the present day Avon may no longer produce the bags of barbel of yesteryear but are sometimes accused of romanticising.
The same can be said for the Kennet and other notables.
I don't see many outside the angling fraternity that are willing to acknowledge what a lot of anglers see as fact,... maybe it just doesn't fit their preferred perception.?
Slightly contradicting what I previously said,... I welcome any meaningful research but cannot see how we can determine fish stocks especially if anglers are ignored.
There seems to be many unanswered theories and questions which makes it all the easier for punters to shout eureka when they witness or see pictures of an otter with a big barbel or a cormorant swallowing a 2lb'er.
Whatever, it hurts to see when you're struggling for a bite.