Otter spread

[willie_gunn]

Instead of road kill, it’s river kill. I think we came up with a new term.

I like that.

I’d cut the salmon carcass up into steaks when we got back to the lodge. They tasted no different to salmon caught on the fly, and it was nice to think that we were enjoying the fruits of the otter’s labour.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

For the life of me, I really cannot understand why 'managing' any species is seen as a problem. I feel the argument to fence all commercial fisheries is like saying fence all woodland to protect from deer. The otter was a problem to fisheries long before any commercial element as a read of The Compleat Angler (published 1653) will testify but then we managed them, we controlled them. The badger is no different.

it is totally bonkers that the tax-payer will be paying professional badger controllers to shoot badgers at night but.......If the very same individual should go anywhere near a sett with his earthdog, the tax-payer will be paying for the same man to be prosecuted through the courts..................................Stop the World, I want to get off!!!!!!!

Just to add, these creatures are fascinating. I have a love of Nature but, as a part of Nature myself, I do not see why we cannot play the part and keep things in balance, not eradication but control.

I have spent many hours doing this sort of thing and always will.....

 

[foxdropper]

In fairness to the cull companies here ,we have an extended 6 month season to cull where there’s a problem .Not that there’s much left tbh .If they had been put on GL it would of saved the country a huge bill ,Tb areas targeted for the price of a bullet and antis none the wiser .
Involve pencil pushers and you get a whole scenario built around telling the whole world what we are doing .
On the first day of the cull back in 2018 ,they gave it out on local radio the start date ,just when we thought we were covert and ready to go .Every unwashed dole walla from miles around decended on us for the first month making just being out interesting to say the least ,drones, trailcams and bangers in fields to name some of the tactics .
Nobody wants to see anything decimated but country matters really should be left to country folk including the now apparent need to control otters .

 

[Bowland blades]

For the life of me, I really cannot understand why 'managing' any species is seen as a problem. I feel the argument to fence all commercial fisheries is like saying fence all woodland to protect from deer. The otter was a problem to fisheries long before any commercial element as a read of The Compleat Angler (published 1653) will testify but then we managed them, we controlled them. The badger is no different.

it is totally bonkers that the tax-payer will be paying professional badger controllers to shoot badgers at night but.......If the very same individual should go anywhere near a sett with his earthdog, the tax-payer will be paying for the same man to be prosecuted through the courts..................................Stop the World, I want to get off!!!!!!!

It's not the world! It's the fact there are no practical countrymen in parliament! If there was it wouldn't be the gigantic mess it is in the countryside! People seem to forget all the otter hound packs packed in before the law told them they had to .
Otter hunting with hounds was absolutely the perfect control , they could never have hunted them out but gave the otter a naturural preditor
Otterhounds stopped because of salmon disease!
The thing about hunting was and alway will be it tends to target the sick and old of a species. I promise you all , if we have forever total protection for otter we will definitely loose far more species .
Politicians should stay the hell out of these matters 1. They are basically only interested in gaining your vote 2. They live in London over half thier time and in the large towns and cities .
Ask yours to identify common enough creatures from the countryside from pictures and they will seriously struggle . Ask them where the Bar or best restaurant is and it's a whole different manner of competence
That's the problem with democracy it allows three wolves and one lamb to vote on what's for lunch !

 

[User00036]

In fairness to the cull companies here ,we have an extended 6 month season to cull where there’s a problem .Not that there’s much left tbh .If they had been put on GL it would of saved the country a huge bill ,Tb areas targeted for the price of a bullet and antis none the wiser .
Involve pencil pushers and you get a whole scenario built around telling the whole world what we are doing .
On the first day of the cull back in 2018 ,they gave it out on local radio the start date ,just when we thought we were covert and ready to go .Every unwashed dole walla from miles around decended on us for the first month making just being out interesting to say the least ,drones, trailcams and bangers in fields to name some of the tactics .
Nobody wants to see anything decimated but country matters really should be left to country folk including the now apparent need to control otters .

I'm actually quite glad the Badger cull has been left to professionals. They do what must be a very unpleasant job, are obviously doing it well, there has been no stories of unnecessary suffering or vast numbers of carcasses lying around. They get on with the job, quietly & effectively, & are doing it well. They deserve respect from a lot of farmers. so keep shtoom!

 

[Keith Edmunds]

It's not the world! It's the fact there are no practical countrymen in parliament! If there was it wouldn't be the gigantic mess it is in the countryside! People seem to forget all the otter hound packs packed in before the law told them they had to .
Otter hunting with hounds was absolutely the perfect control , they could never have hunted them out but gave the otter a naturural preditor
Otterhounds stopped because of salmon disease!
The thing about hunting was and alway will be it tends to target the sick and old of a species. I promise you all , if we have forever total protection for otter we will definitely loose far more species .
Politicians should stay the hell out of these matters 1. They are basically only interested in gaining your vote 2. They live in London over half thier time and in the large towns and cities .
Ask yours to identify common enough creatures from the countryside from pictures and they will seriously struggle . Ask them where the Bar or best restaurant is and it's a whole different manner of competence
That's the problem with democracy it allows three wolves and one lamb to vote on what's for lunch !

Indeed it was the Otterhound masters that first noticed a problem. They voluntarily stopped hunting due to a sudden drop in numbers and were instrumental to the research into the root cause, which in East Anglia was linked with DDT levels I believe.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

I'm actually quite glad the Badger cull has been left to professionals. They do what must be a very unpleasant job, are obviously doing it well, there has been no stories of unnecessary suffering or vast numbers of carcasses lying around. They get on with the job, quietly & effectively, & are doing it well. They deserve respect from a lot of farmers. s

I'm actually quite glad the Badger cull has been left to professionals. They do what must be a very unpleasant job, are obviously doing it well, there has been no stories of unnecessary suffering or vast numbers of carcasses lying around. They get on with the job, quietly & effectively, & are doing it well. They deserve respect from a lot of farmers. so keep shtoom!

I think you will find that most of the 'professionals' are 'country folk'

 

[8x57]

I think you will find that most of the 'professionals' are 'country folk'

and quite a few townies too.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

and quite a few townies too.

perhaps 'good' townies though

 

[Bowland blades]

Indeed it was the Otterhound masters that first noticed a problem. They voluntarily stopped hunting due to a sudden drop in numbers and were instrumental to the research into the root cause, which in East Anglia was linked with DDT levels I believe.

Salmon disease here I Lancashire in the main and pollution in areas like Preston docks and the Lancashire Calder which was in turn fed by some horrid feeder streams . The water where I used to live buy was often running grey . And that was in the 80s

 

[Bowland blades]

Just to add, these creatures are fascinating. I have a love of Nature but, as a part of Nature myself, I do not see why we cannot play the part and keep things in balance, not eradication but control.

I have spent many hours doing this sort of thing and always will.....

Ballance ! Man must maintain this and swallowing spiders to catch flies is utter stupidity. It just creates new problems and always will worldwide

 

[Cyres]

Otters are now very common and regularly seen on the Bristol Avon and regularly seen in the Batheaston stretch. A couple of years ago I saw one dead on the main road near a small ditch in Old Sodbury. When they were developing the quarry at Chipping Sodbury they had to build a tunnel to allow otter acess. I have seen a video of an otter on a friends drive near Wickwar and it was miles from any appreciable water course. They are very efficive predators both in water and on land and I posted one here that I saw one at night hunting rabbits in some freshly cut grass close to the Ladden brook. I know of several local ponds which have been raided and emptied by otters trial cam dont lie!

Otters and mink dont mix so if you have a resident otters you will find mink vanish. In some places eg Cotswold water park combined with cormorants there has been a devistating effect on fish populations. Once pike fishing on the pits was stunning now probably none excistent.

D

 

[Bowland blades]

Otters are now very common and regularly seen on the Bristol Avon and regularly seen in the Batheaston stretch. A couple of years ago I saw one dead on the main road near a small ditch in Old Sodbury. When they were developing the quarry at Chipping Sodbury they had to build a tunnel to allow otter acess. I have seen a video of an otter on a friends drive near Wickwar and it was miles from any appreciable water course. They are very efficive predators both in water and on land and I posted one here that I saw one at night hunting rabbits in some freshly cut grass close to the Ladden brook. I know of several local ponds which have been raided and emptied by otters trial cam dont lie!

Otters and mink dont mix so if you have a resident otters you will find mink vanish. In some places eg Cotswold water park combined with cormorants there has been a devistating effect on fish populations. Once pike fishing on the pits was stunning now probably none excistent.

D

Glad to see thier return but they cannot have all time protection as thier numbers grow there's a very real chance of loss of other important species ( Mink definitely not one of those of course ) native waterbirds , Atlantic salmon , seatrout , grayling, brown trout very much something we need to consider

 

[Ratel]

Out giving new pup a run along the small river, she shot under some tree roots, next thing a chain of bubbles and pup " Where did that bl..
big weasel go?"

 

[AGR]

Out giving new pup a run along the small river, she shot under some tree roots, next thing a chain of bubbles and pup " Where did that bl..
big weasel go?"

Mink. It was a mink!

 

[Ratel]

Mink. It was a mink!

No chance, river is a minefield for them, none caught last 2 years.

 

[Fair Hill]

Glad to see thier return but they cannot have all time protection as thier numbers grow there's a very real chance of loss of other important species ( Mink definitely not one of those of course ) native waterbirds , Atlantic salmon , seatrout , grayling, brown trout very much something we need to consider

Ah c’mere, calm down a small bit.

 

[Bowland blades]

Ah c’mere, calm down a small bit.

Wait on , talk to me again in a decade ! 4 pups , 4 litters of 4 + previous overvand over with no natural preditors 100% protection . How many things have gone off the protected list in the UK? It could answer the badger problem as regards cullers security if they just put them on a short season but no
Like the badger no natural preditors , unlike the badger they have very good transport links.
30 years ago otter where near extinct , now they are in every county

 

[RETIC80]

Made quite a come back in Monmouthshire too within the last few years including in the more urban areas.

Yes I can second this, actually saw an otter crossing a field during a shoot day last week in the afternoon, making its way towards a brook.

 

[Fair Hill]

Wait on , talk to me again in a decade ! 4 pups , 4 litters of 4 + previous overvand over with no natural preditors 100% protection . How many things have gone off the protected list in the UK? It could answer the badger problem as regards cullers security if they just put them on a short season but no
Like the badger no natural preditors , unlike the badger they have very good transport links.
30 years ago otter where near extinct , now they are in every county

I'd say otters are fairly far down the list when it comes to threats against salmon and trout.

'Chemical cocktail’ polluting English rivers - MPs warn

Tyres and wet wipes are soiling rivers but the biggest polluters are farms and water companies.

www.bbc.com