Otters

[St.John]

The fact of the matter is that otters are now, and always going to be a part of our water ways. The population depleted due to us screwing up rivers, stream etc through heavy use of pesticides. Inland fisheries are vulnerable as they offer easy pickings, but as pointed out before the otters main prey (eels) are in a terrible state, again through man's interference and influence. It was gutting for me to see the half eaten remains of a 20 odd lb carp on the dam at redmire, but hopefully the measures taken will prove sufficient. I will loose a lot of Faith in the angling community if illegal hunting of otters becomes common place. What the EA should do is help financially with safe guarding peoples businesses. I consider rivers as wild, that's there charm, and a healthy waterway will support a population of otters. I don't hear people taking out a hate campaign on pike, that would happily gobble up 4lb roach all day long.. just throwing it in the mix.

[StalkingLuke]

I agree with all you have said St.John and believe we probably have a few years ahead when for anglers it may be painful before some kind of balance is reached.
Any kind of culling illegal or not will only lengthen the time before a balance is reached.
Anglers should be lobbying for a proper scientific study of the impact of the reintroduction of the otter which as a native species was always part of the river ecosystem. Unfortunately the rivers with current low flows, pollution, non native predatory species and man's attempts to tame them are screwed up and it should be these battles that as anglers we fight.

[PDuffield]

I agree with both of the previous posts. Instead of focusing on otters as the problem, we should focus on why an environment that used to support otters in balance with their prey can no longer do so.

If otter populations are only viable because they are being artificially supported by commercial trout and coarse fisheries, those fisheries will either close, or find more effective methods of keeping otters out. Either way otters will eventually have to find a balance with unprotected natural sources of food and if the environment is still not healthy enough to support otter populations, surely otters will decline again.

I want my children, or more likely grandchildren, to live in a world where the environment is healthy enough to regulate itself, not require constant meddling by man. In wanting to protect fish we are no different to those who want to reintroduce otters or any other species that has declined due to man's intervention. We have a common goal, we need to find common ground so we can work together.

[Davyr]

I want my children, or more likely grandchildren, to live in a world where the environment is healthy enough to regulate itself, not require constant meddling by man.

I do too, but I can't see it happening without a drastic reduction in the human population. I'd like to believe a widespread change in attitude might achieve the same thing, but then I wouldn't be the card-carrying misanthrope I undoubtedly am.

I place my trust, however, in the belief that a) historically, things go around in circles and b) things generally seem worse than they actually are, for which belief I offer as evidence the following epigram (I haven't made the name of this geezer up, by the way):

"Fishing, if I a fisher may protest, of pleasures is the sweet'st, of sports the best,
Of exercises the most excellent, of recreations the most innocent.
But now the sport is marde, and wott ye why? Fishes decrease, and fishers multiply".

The Reverend Thomas Bastard (1598)