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Predation Action Group
- Thread starter John Hepworth
- Start date
Pete Marshall
Senior Member
Given that no licenses for otter releases have been made since the late 1990's
Otters have been re introduced, it has been a very successful re introduction. Otters have breed and continue to do so successfully. They will inevitability spread through perfectly natural means to all those areas they previously inhabited and where there is sufficient food for them.
If there is an issue then it will be control of Otters, not prevention of introduction as you are closing the stable door ten years after it was closed originally.
seems a little pointless. The only Otters "released" since then have been those found injured or orphaned already in the wild and a large number of these have been immediately killed by the Otters already present .
Otters have been re introduced, it has been a very successful re introduction. Otters have breed and continue to do so successfully. They will inevitability spread through perfectly natural means to all those areas they previously inhabited and where there is sufficient food for them.
If there is an issue then it will be control of Otters, not prevention of introduction as you are closing the stable door ten years after it was closed originally.
Ian Crook
Senior Member
Pete,
I have to agree with Simon here, when thinking of release of captive reared orphans and injured otters six months ago, I had in my head 20 or 30 animals a year nationally maybe, but when I was told that officially there have been over 150 in one year in the south east alone and that that has been the average for over 5 years, the mind boggles...........
Yes many are killed but if only a third survive this is still a very substantial and totally unnatural growth factor.
In the short term, we need to campaign for all support to be withdrawn and let them balance out their numbers naturally.
I have to agree with Simon here, when thinking of release of captive reared orphans and injured otters six months ago, I had in my head 20 or 30 animals a year nationally maybe, but when I was told that officially there have been over 150 in one year in the south east alone and that that has been the average for over 5 years, the mind boggles...........
Yes many are killed but if only a third survive this is still a very substantial and totally unnatural growth factor.
In the short term, we need to campaign for all support to be withdrawn and let them balance out their numbers naturally.
Craig Wood
Senior Member
Whats going to happen when more and more stillwaters put up otter fencing?..It doesent take a genious to work that one out..Personally i dont blame the otter one little bit as it has every right to live but man has now meddled in nature yet again and unfortunately will also have to suffer the consequences..I do feel that if the river eco system was how it should be we wouldent be having this debate..There wouldent be a cormarant problem if fish stocks in the sea hadnt of been totally diminished by over fishing (commercially)..The population is ever increasing and they will need water which unfortunately will come from many rivers and also farming will continue to draw water from the river to supply food to our tables..Then theres the extra discharge which will also end up in the river and due to low water levels wont get diluted so as not to cause problems...The fact is many predators will also diminish along with its prey..Our rivers are in dire straights and will continue to get worse..
Craig Wood
Senior Member
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Welcome
The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) is one of the world's leading otter charities. In the UK IOSF is the only charity solely dedicated to the conservation, protection and care of otters based on 20 years of scientific research in the UK and around the world.
Otter numbers have increased in recent years but there are still only around 8,000 otters in the UK and they remain an endangered species.
Through education, research, influencing policy and partner working the IOSF is making progress but there is still much to be done here in the UK and other countries where otters are at risk.
Your support is greatly appreciated and the donations you make help secure a better future for otters in the UK and around the world.
This is just one of many various organisations that fully support more reintroduction of the otter to ALL uk rivers..More importantly they have the publics support aswell...No GROUP of angling organisations is going to change this..But i do feel if anglers start voicing concerns regarding water abstraction/pollution etc we would probably get the publics support aswell because inadvertally not only would we be safe guarding future river stocks of fish we would also be seen to be safeguarding otters on our rivers which i think would get alot more support..Its just a thought...
Email:
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Join
What's inside?VOTE FOR IOSF IN EBAY'S FUNDRAISING TOURNAMENT
Join our Furget-Me-Not campaign
JOIN IN THE FUN DURING OTTERLY MAD WEEK (30 MAY - 5 JUNE)
Follow the progress of the TWO Congolese otters on our Blog
Welcome
The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) is one of the world's leading otter charities. In the UK IOSF is the only charity solely dedicated to the conservation, protection and care of otters based on 20 years of scientific research in the UK and around the world.
Otter numbers have increased in recent years but there are still only around 8,000 otters in the UK and they remain an endangered species.
Through education, research, influencing policy and partner working the IOSF is making progress but there is still much to be done here in the UK and other countries where otters are at risk.
Your support is greatly appreciated and the donations you make help secure a better future for otters in the UK and around the world.
This is just one of many various organisations that fully support more reintroduction of the otter to ALL uk rivers..More importantly they have the publics support aswell...No GROUP of angling organisations is going to change this..But i do feel if anglers start voicing concerns regarding water abstraction/pollution etc we would probably get the publics support aswell because inadvertally not only would we be safe guarding future river stocks of fish we would also be seen to be safeguarding otters on our rivers which i think would get alot more support..Its just a thought...
Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
Alex, pm sent.
Ian Grant
Senior Member & Supporter
Last Sunday I watched Chub mopping up large amounts of Barbel eggs following their spawning. Every year this predatory animal destroys huge numbers of potential record fish and we do nothing!
Will this group take up the issue of Chub predation?
I can only repeat the comment i made previously regarding your footnote.
It seems more fitting every time you post Pete.
Regards
Ian.
Paul Boote
No Longer a Member
The Chairman on Wednesday
Subject: Age-old, Season-long Refrain on the Hamster
- as we sit beneath sun-silvered willlows on perfectly manicured banks and swing out our baits into the sinuous stream, offering thanks at the same time to Kevin our Head Keeper for ridding the rivers of all parasites, predators and vermin (especially anything that eats Barbel or looks down their well-bred noses at them, like fashion-victim flyfishers):
"One Golden Barbel! There's only one Golden Barbel. One Golden Bar-r-r-bel, there's only one Golden Barbel..."
As ever,
B.B.
Subject: Age-old, Season-long Refrain on the Hamster
- as we sit beneath sun-silvered willlows on perfectly manicured banks and swing out our baits into the sinuous stream, offering thanks at the same time to Kevin our Head Keeper for ridding the rivers of all parasites, predators and vermin (especially anything that eats Barbel or looks down their well-bred noses at them, like fashion-victim flyfishers):
"One Golden Barbel! There's only one Golden Barbel. One Golden Bar-r-r-bel, there's only one Golden Barbel..."
As ever,
B.B.
Last edited:
Simon King
Senior Member
Pete, as Crooky said, I was referring to "rehabilitations" from original wild-stock. e.g. orphans etc.
Since, withouit the artificial Hand Of Man intervening, they would be subject to a "natural death" as part of the balance.
There would be no point in trying to implement remedial action on the rivers while their population was being artificially inflated at the same time as their prey was similarly being deflated.
David Parker
Senior Member
Usually, when faced with a group about to make a huge effort to win hearts and minds, I would say to myself that it never hurts to give it a try. But in this case, despite having some sympathy with those who want to act on this issue of predation (aka otters) I really do think it may harm angling interests to begin this debate publicly. For all the reasons already stated on this and previous threads.
If we behave like the apex predator when in fact all we do is catch fish for pleasure and return them, the public will see through this instantly and we'll be put in dock against the furry otter who after all eats the fish, and we'll lose.
I take no pleasure in believing this, but it is the most likely outcome in my view.
If we behave like the apex predator when in fact all we do is catch fish for pleasure and return them, the public will see through this instantly and we'll be put in dock against the furry otter who after all eats the fish, and we'll lose.
I take no pleasure in believing this, but it is the most likely outcome in my view.
Colin Gordon
No Longer a Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Hepworth
Good to see some really positive replies and support coming through.
From the Fishing Magic Forum minutes ago:
-- Paul Boote, 20:32:
Originally Posted by john m h :â€Nice to see some positive replies; I copied from the AT forum and posted on the BFW forum, what a load of navel picking lot they are. No wonder the AT is in such a desperate position with people like THIS LOT [link to BFW]â€
----------------------------
Seems this subject has stirred up much emotion elsewhere, if you can force yourself to read on to its current standing on page nine, you'll see its not all sweetness and light over there either;
http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/general-fishing/101994-predation-action-group.html
Originally Posted by John Hepworth
Good to see some really positive replies and support coming through.
From the Fishing Magic Forum minutes ago:
-- Paul Boote, 20:32:
Originally Posted by john m h :â€Nice to see some positive replies; I copied from the AT forum and posted on the BFW forum, what a load of navel picking lot they are. No wonder the AT is in such a desperate position with people like THIS LOT [link to BFW]â€
----------------------------
Seems this subject has stirred up much emotion elsewhere, if you can force yourself to read on to its current standing on page nine, you'll see its not all sweetness and light over there either;
http://www.fishingmagic.com/forums/general-fishing/101994-predation-action-group.html
Craig Wood
Senior Member
Hi colin
Well everyone if you think the bickering is bad on here then i suggest you follow the link colin has posted above....The infamous mr paul boote is very much alive and well..Thanks paul for the tears of laughter that ran down my face after reading your very well written replies and sometimes very very strange facts..PRICELESS.
Well everyone if you think the bickering is bad on here then i suggest you follow the link colin has posted above..
..The infamous mr paul boote is very much alive and well..Thanks paul for the tears of laughter that ran down my face after reading your very well written replies and sometimes very very strange facts..PRICELESS.
Ian Grant
Senior Member & Supporter
I've been reading the thread on FM.
I've pasted the post from there by Dave Burr, because to me it's the voice of common sense and sound reasoning.
The whole otter debate has caused a further division in an already divided sport. We must find some common ground and try to head in the same direction.
I got the impression from Pete Readings' piece that he was suffering from splinters by sitting on the fence. To be apologetic about an issue like otters because we may alienate ourselves from Joe Public just doesn't wash. We have every right to demand healthy rivers and to protect our sport, we must show that we are passionate. If it was a similar threat against birds or, God forbid, something was eating our cats, people would stop the traffic.
At present we have a delicate and damaged system of rivers - fact. The cause or causes are unknown but the damage continues. Surely to knock back the numbers of top end predators will go some way to relieve the pressure on those rivers. Should they recover then we know that otters are dead easy to reintroduce so we can do it then into a thriving ecosystem that can withstand it.
I do think though many of the problems that beset our rivers are well known, but obviously many are not .... hormonal polution - is it fact - or not ?
These questions need answering.
At the bottom of all this is US ! - humans, for several hundred years we've been messing with our eco system, now we have the problem of ( well meaning no doubt, but idiots none the less ) people trying to redress some of those problems by trying to return our river systems back to the way they were, and i'm reffering to the release of Otters, without any study as to the effects on the present and already struggling eco system.
The other blight on our rivers cormorants, should have open season placed on them.
Every river has it's own set of problems it would seem, some see repeated mass fish kills from pollution, some ongoing and now seemingly permanent, over predation, and some problems with both.
They all need dealing with - Urgently, and to ignore any of them is folly.
This group if they succeed in bringing the problem of over predation on our rivers and stillwaters to the attention of the public will be doing angling a great service, Joe public needs to know.
If the problem is presented rationally, i'm sure we can win them over.
The same needs to be done with regards to the other problems though, and i know it's a mountain to climb, but we had better start thinking about climbing it.
The way things were in Issac Waltrons time will never ever be again, the demands on our rivers will remain and increase, we know that our ever expanding population will see to it, but the pollution must stop, the over predation must stop, or these things will be the straws that break the back of our river systems, if it doesn't the only thing i fear my grandchildren will be able to fish is is a fenced off, portalooed, & tackle shopped, muddy puddle.
Good luck to this inititive i say, I for one will contribute in any way i can.
Ian.
I've pasted the post from there by Dave Burr, because to me it's the voice of common sense and sound reasoning.
The whole otter debate has caused a further division in an already divided sport. We must find some common ground and try to head in the same direction.
I got the impression from Pete Readings' piece that he was suffering from splinters by sitting on the fence. To be apologetic about an issue like otters because we may alienate ourselves from Joe Public just doesn't wash. We have every right to demand healthy rivers and to protect our sport, we must show that we are passionate. If it was a similar threat against birds or, God forbid, something was eating our cats, people would stop the traffic.
At present we have a delicate and damaged system of rivers - fact. The cause or causes are unknown but the damage continues. Surely to knock back the numbers of top end predators will go some way to relieve the pressure on those rivers. Should they recover then we know that otters are dead easy to reintroduce so we can do it then into a thriving ecosystem that can withstand it.
I do think though many of the problems that beset our rivers are well known, but obviously many are not .... hormonal polution - is it fact - or not ?
These questions need answering.
At the bottom of all this is US ! - humans, for several hundred years we've been messing with our eco system, now we have the problem of ( well meaning no doubt, but idiots none the less ) people trying to redress some of those problems by trying to return our river systems back to the way they were, and i'm reffering to the release of Otters, without any study as to the effects on the present and already struggling eco system.
The other blight on our rivers cormorants, should have open season placed on them.
Every river has it's own set of problems it would seem, some see repeated mass fish kills from pollution, some ongoing and now seemingly permanent, over predation, and some problems with both.
They all need dealing with - Urgently, and to ignore any of them is folly.
This group if they succeed in bringing the problem of over predation on our rivers and stillwaters to the attention of the public will be doing angling a great service, Joe public needs to know.
If the problem is presented rationally, i'm sure we can win them over.
The same needs to be done with regards to the other problems though, and i know it's a mountain to climb, but we had better start thinking about climbing it.
The way things were in Issac Waltrons time will never ever be again, the demands on our rivers will remain and increase, we know that our ever expanding population will see to it, but the pollution must stop, the over predation must stop, or these things will be the straws that break the back of our river systems, if it doesn't the only thing i fear my grandchildren will be able to fish is is a fenced off, portalooed, & tackle shopped, muddy puddle.
Good luck to this inititive i say, I for one will contribute in any way i can.
Ian.
Will Smith
Senior Member
From: http://tinyurl.com/2wtbsxz
-----------------------------------------
Rescued otters being killed after release back into wild
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 10:00
Chief Reporter
Rescued otters released back into already well-populated areas have suffered terrible deaths because of territorial fighting, a leading Westcountry expert has warned.
Veterinary pathologist Vic Simpson, whose research work helped to ban the pesticides responsible for the species dramatic decline in the 1950s, has raised serious questions over otter release policies after examining a number of badly injured animals.
Mr Simpson, who runs the Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre at his home near Truro, said there was a "moral dilemma" about rescuing and rearing cubs only for them to be killed when they were released into the wild as young adults.
"When they get to about 12 months old, when they are old and strong enough, they are released back into the wild," Mr Simpson said. "But where do you put them, they are not worldly wise.
"I have had a few in here which have been released by the RSPCA. They were skin and bone, they had got terrible bite wounds and running sores. They had been put into someone's territory and had been badly beaten up.
"The question for a welfare organisation is whether it is better to put it to sleep as an eight-week-old rather than allow it to die as a young adult?"
Mr Simpson said he had wrestled with the "hugely emotive issue" but concluded that there was "no justification for a re-release campaign".
He stressed he was not being critical of the RSPCA but that the policy of releasing otters close to where they were found, where they are at risk of being killed, had to be reconsidered.
"They could put them into areas where they don't have otters," he added. "The one place in Britain where there is a case for that is the South East where, as far as I know, the population is still very weak."
Rivers in Devon and Cornwall were among the last remaining sanctuaries for otters throughout the 1950s and 60s, as populations elsewhere were wiped out by agricultural pesticides.
The recovery, boosted by chemical bans through the 1970s and 80s, began in the Westcountry and otters slowly began to increase their range eastwards in the late 1990s.
Mr Simpson said he last examined the otters in 2007, but cautioned that the problem was likely to be getting worse because of the strengthening population. A spokesman for the RSPCA in the South West said the number of otters it reared and re-released was small, with only around four this year.
He said: "The soft release method we use for juveniles is an accepted method to give the animals the best chance of survival and to prepare them for release back into the wild at around 14-18 months old. We select release sites with the help of otter consultants, who are experts in their field and where possible animals are released as close to where they were found as possible as this is considered best practice, a view which is shared by other wildlife groups and organisations."
-----------------------------------------
I'd like to see a list of those sites! - Will
-----------------------------------------
Rescued otters being killed after release back into wild
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 10:00
Chief Reporter
Rescued otters released back into already well-populated areas have suffered terrible deaths because of territorial fighting, a leading Westcountry expert has warned.
Veterinary pathologist Vic Simpson, whose research work helped to ban the pesticides responsible for the species dramatic decline in the 1950s, has raised serious questions over otter release policies after examining a number of badly injured animals.
Mr Simpson, who runs the Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre at his home near Truro, said there was a "moral dilemma" about rescuing and rearing cubs only for them to be killed when they were released into the wild as young adults.
"When they get to about 12 months old, when they are old and strong enough, they are released back into the wild," Mr Simpson said. "But where do you put them, they are not worldly wise.
"I have had a few in here which have been released by the RSPCA. They were skin and bone, they had got terrible bite wounds and running sores. They had been put into someone's territory and had been badly beaten up.
"The question for a welfare organisation is whether it is better to put it to sleep as an eight-week-old rather than allow it to die as a young adult?"
Mr Simpson said he had wrestled with the "hugely emotive issue" but concluded that there was "no justification for a re-release campaign".
He stressed he was not being critical of the RSPCA but that the policy of releasing otters close to where they were found, where they are at risk of being killed, had to be reconsidered.
"They could put them into areas where they don't have otters," he added. "The one place in Britain where there is a case for that is the South East where, as far as I know, the population is still very weak."
Rivers in Devon and Cornwall were among the last remaining sanctuaries for otters throughout the 1950s and 60s, as populations elsewhere were wiped out by agricultural pesticides.
The recovery, boosted by chemical bans through the 1970s and 80s, began in the Westcountry and otters slowly began to increase their range eastwards in the late 1990s.
Mr Simpson said he last examined the otters in 2007, but cautioned that the problem was likely to be getting worse because of the strengthening population. A spokesman for the RSPCA in the South West said the number of otters it reared and re-released was small, with only around four this year.
He said: "The soft release method we use for juveniles is an accepted method to give the animals the best chance of survival and to prepare them for release back into the wild at around 14-18 months old. We select release sites with the help of otter consultants, who are experts in their field and where possible animals are released as close to where they were found as possible as this is considered best practice, a view which is shared by other wildlife groups and organisations."
-----------------------------------------
I'd like to see a list of those sites! - Will
Ian Grant
Senior Member & Supporter
What a sad, and pathetic situation we find ourselves in !
These so called experts couldn't agree on the colour of *&^$
One lot releasing them with no idea of their survival prospects, and now this Vic Simpson suggesting it might be more humane to euthinase them to save them from starvation and attack from other Otters.
Perhaps now some are beggining to realise the stupidity in the way they were released in the first place.
If they had left well alone in the first place they would have made a natural comeback, with sustainable populations that would have spread much more evenly, and blended with the present eco system we have, thats too late now.
In the old otter debate on the old BFW i said i would not like to see them culled or euthinased, i still hold to that but i admit i'm begining to wonder if it might be the only way out of this mess they've created.
Certainly i think it's looking more and more necessary for the areas which have seen the worst of the killing, though i would hope that even there there might be a way somehow of controling their numbers without resorting to that.
Like i said it's a sad and pathetic situation we find ourselves in, but not just for us, for the Otters too.
We must not ignore the reality of the situation that is faceing angling, and we must not shrink from what must be done.
Man started messing with nature a long time ago, irrevocably upsetting the natural order of things forever, allowing nature to take it's course now, by allowing these predator populations to find their own level is not an option, in my opinion, all who post on here will be dust long before that happens.
We need to act now if anything resembling the angling we've been used to, is to remain, and as i said in my previous post pollution must also be addressed with equal fervour.
Even if we only achieve half of what is nescesary, it might just keep the lid on things, and prevent what i believe will be an eventual collapse of our eco system.
Ian.
These so called experts couldn't agree on the colour of *&^$
One lot releasing them with no idea of their survival prospects, and now this Vic Simpson suggesting it might be more humane to euthinase them to save them from starvation and attack from other Otters.
Perhaps now some are beggining to realise the stupidity in the way they were released in the first place.
If they had left well alone in the first place they would have made a natural comeback, with sustainable populations that would have spread much more evenly, and blended with the present eco system we have, thats too late now.
In the old otter debate on the old BFW i said i would not like to see them culled or euthinased, i still hold to that but i admit i'm begining to wonder if it might be the only way out of this mess they've created.
Certainly i think it's looking more and more necessary for the areas which have seen the worst of the killing, though i would hope that even there there might be a way somehow of controling their numbers without resorting to that.
Like i said it's a sad and pathetic situation we find ourselves in, but not just for us, for the Otters too.
We must not ignore the reality of the situation that is faceing angling, and we must not shrink from what must be done.
Man started messing with nature a long time ago, irrevocably upsetting the natural order of things forever, allowing nature to take it's course now, by allowing these predator populations to find their own level is not an option, in my opinion, all who post on here will be dust long before that happens.
We need to act now if anything resembling the angling we've been used to, is to remain, and as i said in my previous post pollution must also be addressed with equal fervour.
Even if we only achieve half of what is nescesary, it might just keep the lid on things, and prevent what i believe will be an eventual collapse of our eco system.
Ian.
Craig Wood
Senior Member
Very interesting post will..I couldent agree with you more ian..On the dorset stour there have been resident otters for quite some time which didnt bother anyone..Then some really clever people thought "lets release some hand reared otters into an already established otters territory"...just so the public can all go "aahhrr aint they lovely and cute"..and the EA can say to the public "look at the good work we have done cleaning the river"...If only the public knew the truth about the damage the EA and water authorities are doing to our rivers buy which i mean granting permision for more and more water abstraction and increased sewage and other harmful waste being discharged into the river..Perhaps if the water authorities fixed the leaks in the water supply system instead of profit to shareholders then they wouldent need to keep taking so much water out of our river systems..I also think farmers and others who pump water out of the river shouldent be allowed to do so when rivers are below normal levels...I think anglers would gain public support by exposing the real culprits for our diminishing river eco systems which as we all know is affecting EVERY animal and plant life which lives in or by the river...
Hi men ,
Top post Ian , as usuall.
Hatter
Top post Ian , as usuall.
Hatter
Andrew Boyne
Senior Member
Excuse my ignorance but having just caught up with this thread i'd be interested to know what percentage of their funding, if any, is used towards habitat improvement by charities like the IOSF Craig mentioned. I doubt such charities do anything to help the populations of fish their released otters will pray upon - assuming they survive in the first place.
Looking at the list of anglers forming the PAG i'm sure they will acheive a result for the anglers, and more importantly the fish stocks. I've great respect for anglers of the calibre of Wilson and Bowler - i'd barely reached double figures when i was learning from John's programs on channel 4 and i've read ALL the books! The one for me in the group is Mr Fairbrass - when Danny speaks the masses listen - trust me i've seen it first hand! He can mobilise the voice of tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of carp anglers if he wants to - when he does that the group will have as bigger voice as any.
They've got my support.
Looking at the list of anglers forming the PAG i'm sure they will acheive a result for the anglers, and more importantly the fish stocks. I've great respect for anglers of the calibre of Wilson and Bowler - i'd barely reached double figures when i was learning from John's programs on channel 4 and i've read ALL the books! The one for me in the group is Mr Fairbrass - when Danny speaks the masses listen - trust me i've seen it first hand! He can mobilise the voice of tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of carp anglers if he wants to - when he does that the group will have as bigger voice as any.
They've got my support.
Simon King
Senior Member
What a sad, and pathetic situation we find ourselves in !
These so called experts couldn't agree on the colour of *&^$
One lot releasing them with no idea of their survival prospects, and now this Vic Simpson suggesting it might be more humane to euthinase them to save them from starvation and attack from other Otters.
Perhaps now some are beggining to realise the stupidity in the way they were released in the first place.
If they had left well alone in the first place they would have made a natural comeback, with sustainable populations that would have spread much more evenly, and blended with the present eco system we have, thats too late now.
Ian.
I think, to be fair Ian, that the "soft release" program has been undertaken for many years without problem and it's only very recently (reading between the lines) that these re-released kits are getting into trouble.
Although there are now 1000's of otters out there, prior to the release programme (regardless of its mistakes) the species was "on the brink" to the extent that one catastrophic incident could have all but wiped out those remaining enclaves.
I think we all agree that a more measured and researched approach to re-introduction would have been preferable in hindsight, but there was good reason to act to potentially "save" a species. CITES Appendix A listing is not given lightly.
Nor is it rescinded in haste.
You (royal you) can rant, rage and fume all you like, but there will be NO culling of an A-listed species, no matter WHAT a bunch of anglers say.
Even if the otter is recognised as damaging fish-stocks through over-predation it is guaranteed that it will get the precedence of any action forthcoming.
You can bank on it.
We have to work within this framework or NOTHING will happen except the marginalisation of anglers to be rendered outcasts in the public eye.
It will be far easier to demonise an angler who wants to kill/cull an otter, than an otter that wants/needs to kill a fish.