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The latest Countryfile programme,

C

Chris Guy

Senior Member
featured the latest influx of foreign predators at Grafham Water, the killer shrimps, and what a devastating affect they are having on the ecology there, along with the zebra mussels, which in turn are also having a negative affect on our waters.
Then the programme jumps to County Durham, where do-gooders are encouraging the 'still rare' otter. The nice people are up there making some nice cosy holts for the otters, which are 'so rare, they've hardly been seen'.
So wishing for the best, they set up a motion activated cam, hoping to get a glimpse of this rare creature. Surprise surprise, they get one or two on the first night of observation.
How strange that no one pointed out to these people, otters are generally nocturnal!
I'm going to email Countryfile, just to point out that these lovely fury creatures are having an equally devastating affect on certain fish stocks and wildfowl in and around this country's water ways, as mitten crabs, signal crays, cormorants, zebra mussels, mink, killer shrimps and on. :mad:
Anyone else of the same opinion, please follow suit.
 
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it's TV for joe public, what do you expect, cuddly otters are all the rage.
 
I dare say that the Beeb in its reply to your communication will observe that the fish killers and aquatic game-changers featured in your list (bar one, the cormorant) are alien species, and that the otter is not; that it is merely making a come-back (and was doing so years before the much-publicized and -hated Otter Trust reintroductions), taking back the habitats it lost from the 1950s onwards owing to DDT poisoning etc.
 
I have noted in my email your observations re alien species. I've also pointed out that these creatures also appear to kill for fun, have taken young signets on my local water, along with a couple of their precious bitterns up at Minsmere.
And just what ain't in their day to day diet these days, that were very common fifty years ago.
 
I watched the programme with interest as I was booked for the first day of the Predator fishing at Grafham.
Because of the Killer Shrimps we had to use their landing nets and drogues, however we had to sign a dis-claimer (not sure why) and all other tackle was subject to de-contamination at the de-contamination station.
So at the end of the day I reported for de-contamination and was told as we had used their nets and drogues we only had to de-contaminate the un-hooking mat, this consisted of spraying with water from a hose………………wonderful!!!

So according to the programme the £50,000 spent on Killer Shrimp prevention was for;- 2 mesh screens at the outfall actual cost no more than £400 (if bespoke manufactured),
25 landing net handles £93.75 (the price label was still on the one in our boat),
25 round pan nets £250 (lets be generous and call it a tenner a net),
25 Wynchwood Para Drogues @ £24.99 = £624.75 and £150 for a new Berghaus jacket for John Craven (who did the report, although he may have tucked up the BBC for that) and £24.99 for the hose.

Total £1,467.74

That leaves £48,532.26 for consultation fees for English Heritage and The EA.


Sounds about right doesn’t it !!!

Oh yes , I blanked with the Zander but I did have this 5lb 11oz Brownie on a Jig!!

100_5206.jpg


Tight Lines Chaps.
 
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Three dead young otter found on my club section of the R Wear above Durham City, Co Durham last week. Apparently all had been picked at by whatever. Its likely these dead otter will have been carrying the fatal bile fluke many are now carrying. This fluke probably now passed on by the birds/animals that have fed on the body's.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we ....

Oh by the way, the chap running the featured nature reserve, a so called angler, was instrumental in getting 'Coarse' dropped from the recent River Wear Coarse Fishery Development Group set up by the EA and angling clubs.

We already have 'Salmon action plans' coming from every orifice, dare not mention 'coarse' up here through :mad:
 
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As I have long said here and elsewhere, John, rid ourselves of the EA in some fit of "bunch of bloody pennypushing bunnyhuggers" pique and we'll only get a totally spottie-centric, coarse is what those unlike us fish for, crew replacing it.
 
The Chairman on Tuesday


Or as they used to say at their dinner tables here in The Hamsters until we took the place back, "Let them eat chub.".


As ever,

B.B.
 
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