Ha, Ha, Don't forget dippers.
Petition regarding fish eating birds raised by the NGO
- Thread starter devon deer stalker
- Start date
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
Surely that's not true in this day and age that developers can build wiers for flood prevention?
Definitely never heard of it in my area, but not that many new house builds either.
I know our old river/fishery improvement officer was well ahead of many.
Even 25 or 30 hrs ago he scaled down the Salmon hatchery and spent the money on habitat works upstream and breaking up any old wiers or obstructions.
1 thing I will say that we were doing wrong ( and I never even realised till years later)
We used to shoot the mer/gooseanders early in the morning as their travelling up river to feed.
But he had to send some bodies in for analysis/PM, he said most had no young fish in them.
It never even occurred to me we were shooting them before they could eat any fish, should off been shooting them later on.
But quite easy shot early in the day esp if groups walking towards each other on both sides of the river.
He also initiated voluntary catch and release way before anyone else.
Top beats of river been catch and release on Brownies for 25+ yrs now and has some absolutely crackers now.
On a serious note, I think a lot of the problem is at sea, but until we know what that is, and it is probably complex and multifactorial, we must try and keep the breeding numbers up as far as possible. Apparently though, cocaine in rivers is affecting their migrating habits and where they travel to at sea! Shouldn't wonder if all the hormones from the contraceptive pill aren't having a very serious effect as well and these could and should be stripped out at the sewage works.
David.
David.
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I've often wondered about that.
I think it could be the root cause of a lot of food chain problems. That and microplastics.
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
That fishery lad who was right on it.
Reckons their is big problems at sea, and for once global warming actually is legitimately to blame.
Says the reason, where they feed up north sea temps have raised just 1C if that, but its enough to let other more ferocious shoal feeding fish species move in which are out competing Salmon and Sea trout.
Before this they had all the feeding entirely to themselves.
He predicted overall salmon numbers would drop but u should see more larger fish.
I don't fish nowadays and very do on the river but I think wot was getting caught were bigger.
But no doubt the predation of part and smolts leaving the river does not help.
Plus if dryer weather fish will be caught in pools, esp below weirs.
Easy pickings for some predators, esp if seals are swimming miles upstream.
And even in some cases high Otter numbers.
A mate who ballifs has lost a lot of fish now with Otters literally taking a bite out them as he plays them.
Ironic thing is he returns everything too.
He will see otters most days he's down the river.
Just too many in outer area now, and we've always been lucky enough to have quite a few all throu the 80s and 90s.
I was rather under the impression that Sea Trout don't migrate to the far north, you can see them offshore in a lot of the year. I am willing to be better informed though.
David.
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
To be fair u could be right with the sea trout, I've possibly added it on.
But I can remember him saying it about the salmon.
Some shoaling fish species just feed far harder and out compete the salmon, I think he mentioned cod and haddock?
Was fishing newton by the sea on Friday gone place was boiling with good sea trout
Turns diving for sand eels
Got a what’s app photo of a lad spear fishing about back of st Mary’s island Tyne mouth some nice bass out the kelp he said they were hiding from the seals
More seals then ever on the northeast coast am 61 never seen it this bad
Was a joy to see a seal 40 years ago something not rite
The big northeast winter fishing comps have died a death poor returns
No blaming seals 100% but they certainly don’t help fish stocks to recover
Turns diving for sand eels
Got a what’s app photo of a lad spear fishing about back of st Mary’s island Tyne mouth some nice bass out the kelp he said they were hiding from the seals
More seals then ever on the northeast coast am 61 never seen it this bad
Was a joy to see a seal 40 years ago something not rite
The big northeast winter fishing comps have died a death poor returns
No blaming seals 100% but they certainly don’t help fish stocks to recover
When and where was the last weir built?
Can’t remember seeing any notification of ones in Scotland and certainly know a few that have been removed.
Two years ago I was beside the railway viaduct over the South Esk in Montrose.
Gave up after counting 30 cormorants on the basin side of the viaduct.
None of which lifted off during the two hours I was there, but they were certainly diving.
If you want to see a Cormorant population explosion come to my local reservoir Chew Valley lake absolutely Hundreds there.Met some people there from Bristol Airport doing a survey and once they realized I wasn’t a bird watcher they told me the reason they were there was to survey the Cormorants as potentially they could be a risk to aircraft.
One on top of two
Well-Known Member
Done 
Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Some good videos are showing the number of cormorants on Chew.
Last originally built weir in England was 2017, with an older structure getting rebuilt after it collapsed in 2019
Scotland is doing much better in that front with the last one being rebuilt from an older structure in 1949
That is not on ! Holes in the ground filled with water and stocked fish introduced in numbers is the problem that man created .
devon deer stalker
Well-Known Member
I find that a hypocritical view
On another post you state you shoot foxes to protect free range chickens.
Sol
Well-Known Member
I haven't seen anyone mention here that the cormorants what are causing issue arent even native birds, there an entirely different subspecies that's meant too reside in Europe inland yet in the 1980s they made an established population over here and ever since have grown humongously, The general license Is wonderful that parameters can be added for different contexts of shooting too protect native and non-native populations It could look something like this.
Protection of Fisheries, Stocked Ponds, Lakes, or other commercially farmed Aquatic Life Inland or Bordering oceans - No Restrictions.
Protection of Game Fish inland on unmanaged wild rivers, lakes and ponds - No restrictions
Protection of Game Fish Bordering 15km of the Ocean on wild rivers, lakes, ponds. - License via respective authorities.
I dont believe our native birds should be killed however there should be a good incentive too reduce numbers of the invasive species, there's no way too visually see the difference between the two subspecies besides the area they inhabit hence the ocean border requirement I propose for protecting wild stock, Fisheries as mentioned would be excluded.
If someone genuinely wished too shoot them sub 15km of the ocean (subject too change) It remains as normal and a license Is applied for, as there logistically probably not the species causing the most harm.
Mergansers I'm not overly familiar on I know they can be utterly devastating but are they actually as widespread as cormorants? Whilst I'm not familiar with the species I have too imagine for a group of merganser too take hold of a stocked pond there's probably a dozen or so ponds suffering with cormorants TBH I think I've seen a marganser once or twice In my life and I'm in Scotland where apparently the population is the highest.
Protection of Fisheries, Stocked Ponds, Lakes, or other commercially farmed Aquatic Life Inland or Bordering oceans - No Restrictions.
Protection of Game Fish inland on unmanaged wild rivers, lakes and ponds - No restrictions
Protection of Game Fish Bordering 15km of the Ocean on wild rivers, lakes, ponds. - License via respective authorities.
I dont believe our native birds should be killed however there should be a good incentive too reduce numbers of the invasive species, there's no way too visually see the difference between the two subspecies besides the area they inhabit hence the ocean border requirement I propose for protecting wild stock, Fisheries as mentioned would be excluded.
If someone genuinely wished too shoot them sub 15km of the ocean (subject too change) It remains as normal and a license Is applied for, as there logistically probably not the species causing the most harm.
Mergansers I'm not overly familiar on I know they can be utterly devastating but are they actually as widespread as cormorants? Whilst I'm not familiar with the species I have too imagine for a group of merganser too take hold of a stocked pond there's probably a dozen or so ponds suffering with cormorants TBH I think I've seen a marganser once or twice In my life and I'm in Scotland where apparently the population is the highest.
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