Craig, it seems I'll be tenching in the dark today, my ever reliable brother won't be with me for some time yet...
Here's a post I placed on the old format BFW, detailing some of the problems being experienced on the Cherwell;
I am writing this post regarding the poor fishing predominantly on my local river Cherwell. Where the problems start at the source and just get amplified the further down its course until it finally joins the Thames in Oxford.
From its source near Charwelton downstream to Cropredy there are numerous large arable farms with crop fields immediately adjacent to the river therefore obviously leading to run off becoming sediment in the river.
Then there are several feeder reservoirs for the Oxford canal which can only serve to starve the river of much needed water due in part to the simple reality that with over 150 acres of still water god only knows how much water is lost through evaporation.
Then not content with using precious water resources to keep the muddy ditch full water for pleasure craft to foul up the British Waterways then go on to abstract an unmeasured amount of water directly from the river at Cropredy.
So the river still only in its infancy stages is already very low on water and silting up.
Get to Banbury and it just gets better. Thames Water take water out of the river to supply aprox 60000 adults and with in the region of 40%+ being wasted due to their poor maintenance of the supply network who can estimate how much is removed.
It still gets better whilst still in Banbury you've guessed it. Thames Water go on to return the water back to the Cherwell via the sewage treatment works.
From Banbury heading south the agricultural practices at first seem to better with most fields around the river being permanent pasture but if you head up the tributaries the picture is very much different with farmers still cultivating right up to a metre of the water courses (I refer mainly to Sor Brook and the river Swere). In the Cherwell valley the river is still affected by bloody land drains which literally empty any rainfall we do get straight into the river causing a flash flood scenario and no prolonged periods of flooding to aid with vital cleaning out of the rivers build up of debris.
Then British waterways carry on to remove yet more water for the canal at Nellbridge and Bletchingdon.
So in summary the underlying problems on the river are not caused by Otters but a build up of a whole manner of causes (mostly avoidable).
This coupled by the blight of crayfish.
As its apparent that if the river system was functioning properly or even at 75% of its potential then the place of Otters returning to its place at the top of the food chain would not be a problem but this problem occurring is really a reflection of the narrow mindedness of the do-gooders that re-introduced them without looking at the WHOLE picture!!
You could always add predation from alien species to the river to this list; Mink, Cormorants and now zander....
Ignore what many others say in their hearsay appraisals on this river, otters are a minor contributing factor.
Yes an unwelcome one but that is just the way it is.... Rivers SHOULD be capable of sustaining these apex predators and if they aren't its that problem that needs rectifying!
If you want my opinion on the Windrush and/or Upper Thames, just ask.
Ray Walton and the Barbel Specialist Group what is your take on the otter issue, are they a problem, if yes how best to deal with them?
