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otters

Hi Andrew

did you read ALL ?

Why would you need to introduce more stock? I am not going to argue with you. Its on the website as a problem that needs to be managed.

regards
 
Wash ishing a loch in ireland years ago and there were 100`s of dead bream,they had been spawning and the otters had been killing them and eating just the eyes!
 
I wished they had done that on the waters I fish then the snotty little beggars would not be able to see my bait.

Regards,

Lee.
 
John Young said:
Hi Andrew,

do I need to post pictures of what otters can do and post why commercial fisheries are having to install otter fences? Unlike all the other species that you mention they actually hunt to eat , the otter can reek utter devastation. Otters tend not to eat the whole carcass but just tiny bits then move onto another fish

Do a search and see the (oooops ) carnage they leave behind on some carp fisheries. only a matter of time Andrew and I will be posting the :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

regards John
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John, whilst I think you are an intelligent guy I am therefore a bit perplexed as to why you have this stance re Otter. Otter as I am sure you know belong in the Rivers and if it was not for man's hand in wiping them out from our waterways then surely we have to support the revival of Otter as a indigenous species that has a right to be here?
Besides John the huge amount of support for the reintroduction of Otter is unstoppable and is deemed a great wildlife success, which I support, I didn't initially but I have opened my eyes and now I am happy to see Otter in our Rivers again, and see them I do.
The majority of River anglers are also good conservationists, it would therefore be rather selfish in the extreme to turn on the Otter merely because it hunts fish as we do, but for food not pleasure, now ask yourself which has the real merit?

Neil
 
Chris Bourne said:
Wash ishing a loch in ireland years ago and there were 100`s of dead bream,they had been spawning and the otters had been killing them and eating just the eyes!
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Otter do have a notion regarding sustainability, so perhaps they do this rather than kill the Bream, merely to make catching them easier on demand, a bit like a lazy takeaway?:)
 
Hi Neil,
no need to be perplexed I have simply pointed out what the concerns are in regards to the Angling Trust.

Lee thats a great post :D:D:D
 
Neil Smart said:
Otter do have a notion regarding sustainability, so perhaps they do this rather than kill the Bream, merely to make catching them easier on demand, a bit like a lazy takeaway?:)
Click to expand...

I hope your not serious :)
 
John Young said:
Hi Neil,
no need to be perplexed I have simply pointed out what the concerns are in regards to the Angling Trust.

Lee thats a great post :D:D:D
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The bias is in the title Angling Trust, a stance against the Otter is a no win but everything to lose, no matter what your sentiments.

And why all the D.D.D.'s all of a sudden, is it a stutter? I have noticed this is replacing him:) and I don't like it:(
 
Angling has changed beyond recognition to that which it was in the pre 1960's when otters were yet to experience their decline. Since those days we have carp fisheries and "fun puddle fisheries" that have sprung up everywhere. The big fish scene on rivers has also exploded to the point where certain species have become prized targets for anglers. Fishing is big business and the fish we all like to fish for is now an expensive commodity. Since the pre sixties as well we, that is man, have lost the right to cull what is in actual fact an apex predator in preventative measures to protect his interests or stock.

Life is very different now to what it was in the pre sixties days and in many ways rightly so. We anglers have grown accustomed to expect big fish to be there when we go fishing so when we see or hear about a prized fishes demise through otter predation our hands get thrown up in horror. This is perhaps a natural reaction seeing as most of us have grown up never considering that our prized fish would be killed in this way by a creature we have never seen. But even more natural is the relationship fish have with the otter in exactly the same way a herd of gazelle have with a pride of lions, or the killer whale has with a pod of seals.

It is natures way. Often tragic but always miraculous.

Regards,

Lee.
 
Mark - congratulations on the wrap around :)

I am with Lee on this one - tough sh1t we will have to change our targeted species when the Barbel are eaten by otters - or start using suitable pollutants to kill them off again.

No amount of whinging and whining on here or elsewhere will chamge public opinion about otters - concentrate on the black death or water abstraction if you want to get on your soap box.

As for me I will let nature take it's course and adapt, learning to live with my local environment and waiting for the otters to return to Otters Pool on the Goyt. It will be interesting watching them in the archemedian scrrw.

Apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors.

Dave
 
nice post Dave :D:D:D

ooops can I post 3 laughs :rolleyes:
 
John,

I am glad that you appreciate my post, we humans are perfectly capable or doing more damage to our rivers/environment than a recovering natural environment with it's apex predators.

Did you know that the local landowners were forbidden from using the pink fish from the Goyt as payment for work.

Dave
 
well since the otters have turned up on the Bristol Avon the barbel population has crashed with few fish being caught.
My opinion the otter has a lot to do with it but hey what do i know about this lovely fury animal what everyone loves.
Andy
 
Andy Bebbington said:
well since the otters have turned up on the Bristol Avon the barbel population has crashed with few fish being caught.
My opinion the otter has a lot to do with it but hey what do i know about this lovely fury animal what everyone loves.
Andy
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That may be so Andy, but the Bristol Avon is not the Ribble. Otters haven't just returned to the Ribble - they have always been there. You have many other problems associated with the decline in fish stocks, signal crays, lack of suitable spawning grounds etc etc.
 
thought the title of the thread was otters not ribble otters and no signal crayfish on the middle Avon i fish but must agree with you on spawning grounds and the lack of.
Anyway otters are here to stay no matter what anyone says.
Happy fishing.
Andy
 
Andrew Boyne said:
That may be so Andy, but the Bristol Avon is not the Ribble. Otters haven't just returned to the Ribble - they have always been there. You have many other problems associated with the decline in fish stocks, signal crays, lack of suitable spawning grounds etc etc.
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While it is undoubtedly true that there may be many underlying problems affecting the fish stocks in a river, the fact remains that otters can devastate populations of barbel as has been shown to be the case on rivers like the Wensum and Great Ouse, etc. While the obvious answer to this is to improve their spawning habitat, etc. once otters have depleted stocks to the extent that the economic viability of these fisheries is seriously threatened, it is difficult to see where the enthusiasm and funding is going to come from to address the underlying problems?
 
Whilst it would be a shame to see our sport decline to nothing, they aren't "our" fish. Mother nature will decide the fishes fate as well as ours. Perhaps we should let her get on with it.
 
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