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Brazen Otter

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Graham Young said:
I sometimes think that anglers worry to much about what others think of us, organisations such as p*** couldn't think worse about anglers no matter what was said, in there minds it should be banned outright.
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Well said Graham. We are never going to see eye to eye no matter what we do, so rather than "hold our tongue" in case we are misrepresented we should shout out loud and proud that we will do whatever it takes to protect the rivers and lakes that we love. If that means that we quietly take the law into our own hands and bash the damn things on the head then so be it.

Steve.
 
Neil Smart said:
I know it's crazy, can't believe the mindset of some, but I beginning to.

And to think that as Anglers we are supposed to care about wildlife, I think some are just interested in catching the biggest, no matter what it takes and to hell with everyone and everything else, sad that it has to be posted on here.
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It is sad, and becoming more common unfortunately.

Nick Anderson said:
Im waiting for the group to be formed the vegetable protection group
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Terrible what them vegans do to vegetables. Just imagine being a carrot, happily growing along with your mates, enjoying the sunshine on your leaves. All of a sudden you get yanked from the ground, skinned, diced and boiled. Nasty way to go that.
 
David Gauntlett said:
I quite agree with you Rhys, it is too late....the chance of otter numbers being controlled now (as they ALWAYS were in the past) are fairly remote. This nanny state, with all it's farcical political correctness and seemingly endless streams of insane regulations will see to that. Which of course means that otter numbers will increase to utterly unnatural levels. This idea that they will reach a point where nature takes over, that their numbers are self regulating, may eventually come true....but not before they have caused wrongs that we will not be able to put right.

Whatever happens, the ONE truth that is inescapable in all of this smoke and mirrors stuff is that the vast majority of our rivers are not healthy enough to sustain a head of fish capable of feeding the number of otters that the do gooders would like to see. THAT is the problem. To have a healthy population of otters, you need a health population of fish. It really is that simple. Sadly, we don't have the fish part of that equation, and are unlikely to have for the foreseeable future. It's not rocket science...a stringently protected, molly coddled and uncontrolled otters population + an already declining fish population means that things can only go one way. Man's meddling will once again bring about a situation of massive imbalance.

WAY before any natural, self regulating control of otters could occur, they will have reached the stage where hunger forces them into killing and eating anything that is small enough for them to manage. No doubt the distance they are forced to forage in will spread ever further from our waterways....and they won't worry overly much whether their prey is covered in scales, fur or feather (that process seems to have already started). During that period, we will most certainly lose the already endangered species such as water voles, bittern and so on, and probably a swath of other species that are not yet on that list. The government will act of course....once it's too late to do anything effective to save those critters. They will then be forced to take draconian measures to 'put right' that which actually can no longer BE put right. :rolleyes: and so the cycle of mans meddling and destructive nature will roll ever onwards.

You are right though Rhys, no amount of moaning on forums will change things. In fact, as things stand, there is nothing we can do in ANY way that will change things. The bizarre regulations that the clinically insane burgermeisters in Brussels invent to feed their ego and power trips will continue to rain down on us, and we will continue to follow them like sheep. Of course the rest of Europe will carry on doing as they see fit, and sniggering at the weird, pitiful Brits for their gullible nature. So no Rhys, nothing will change. Except our fishing...and the list of species that just got reaquainted with the Do Do.

Never mind.

Cheers, Dave.
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Terrific post, Dave, incisive and spot-on.
 
Jim Foxall said:
Terrific post, Dave, incisive and spot-on.
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Well Jim it was another long reply, I will give him that, and it was a typically depressing scenario he portrays.I mean he was painting a picture of the Otter reaching out and becoming a wanton killer of just about anything,, I don't know if that is science fiction or science fact, but I think there might be a connection with the recent missing Chiuawawa's (sp) champions.

So it's a start, we can blame the Otter for that, the Crufts people are a powerful body that can even breed designer dogs that can't breath run or see, the Otter's days would be numbered, and who knows it might become the next man's best friend, why we could train it to fish for us, ''forget the bait boat mate I have a MK11 Otter''

None of this makes any sense, including this reply, but the sun is shining and I'm off to wash the windows
 
You carry on with your head in the sand if you like neil

We are powerless to do anything about the otter legally, for now anyway.

Just cast your mind back to when the black death started to appear, people back then said they won't do any harm, it's just a few birds. Now look where we are

A 75 acre water near me regularly produced good nets of specimen roach

Within 18 months of them finding the water it was more or less empty asside from the larger fish

Waters HAVE been wiped out already by tarka

We may get something done to control the numbers when the rivers are almost empty, too late then though
 
Stuart Prescott said:
You carry on with your head in the sand if you like neil

We are powerless to do anything about the otter legally, for now anyway.

Just cast your mind back to when the black death started to appear, people back then said they won't do any harm, it's just a few birds. Now look where we are

A 75 acre water near me regularly produced good nets of specimen roach

Within 18 months of them finding the water it was more or less empty asside from the larger fish

Waters HAVE been wiped out already by tarka

We may get something done to control the numbers when the rivers are almost empty, too late then though
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Don't get me wrong I am concerned, it depresses me beyond most things in life, but I am an optimist, however taking the law into our own hands and advocating killing the Otter will of course have dire consequences for the image of angling.

But Otter 'wiping out' waters out as you put it, well fish are a commodity and as such these places can be restocked, but just what to do with the Otter in Rivers I just don't know, it seems that this sort of problem has not been seen on our rivers before, even when Otter were a natural feature, but as I said I suspect then they had a built in understanding that has been lost due to breeding in 'farms' and being handled by humans.

To be let loose in the countryside was a major mistake, but when I talk to the non angling fraternity that have an interest in wildlife there is no sympathy whatsoever to the demise of the Angler and fish stocks. As said the Otter is a superstar and fish are just fodder, but we as anglers do have to pay for our sport, come what may, and this might be our only hope to evoke some sort of pressure in some sort of mass protest by not buying a licence.
 
Steve Stringer said:
Well said Graham. We are never going to see eye to eye no matter what we do, so rather than "hold our tongue" in case we are misrepresented we should shout out loud and proud that we will do whatever it takes to protect the rivers and lakes that we love. If that means that we quietly take the law into our own hands and bash the damn things on the head then so be it.

Steve.
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Steve as you say , Do what ever it takes ? Lets go back to the good old days when Otters were hunted with dogs :rolleyes: and while we are at it ? Why not bring back fox hunting as well :(

Tarka the Otter(Anthony Phillips) part 3 - YouTube
 
nick, on oxygen for late evenings and nights, but it doesn,t stop me from short energetic bursts, prolonged activity does, fishing is very soothing and peaceful for me
 
Hi men,

Countryfile tonight on BBC 1 , passionate call for culling of predators to help farm birds !. 500% increase in buzzards etc making a difference to the balance in nature , and as we make the land , controlling the environment we should be effecting the balance !. He was not scared to voice his opinion as a bird lover !.

Hatter
 
I would love to know what the exact same moaners on this thread have done to improve their local rivers since moaning about exactly the same thing this time last year.

I bet it amounts to typing 6 million words on the internet and thats it.
 
Neil Smart said:
Don't get me wrong I am concerned, it depresses me beyond most things in life, but I am an optimist, however taking the law into our own hands and advocating killing the Otter will of course have dire consequences for the image of angling.

But Otter 'wiping out' waters out as you put it, well fish are a commodity and as such these places can be restocked, but just what to do with the Otter in Rivers I just don't know, it seems that this sort of problem has not been seen on our rivers before, even when Otter were a natural feature, but as I said I suspect then they had a built in understanding that has been lost due to breeding in 'farms' and being handled by humans.

To be let loose in the countryside was a major mistake, but when I talk to the non angling fraternity that have an interest in wildlife there is no sympathy whatsoever to the demise of the Angler and fish stocks. As said the Otter is a superstar and fish are just fodder, but we as anglers do have to pay for our sport, come what may, and this might be our only hope to evoke some sort of pressure in some sort of mass protest by not buying a licence.
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Seems to me that it matters not what anglers do or don't do, we have no image other than one we allow the none angling public and press to heap on us, we are still being blamed for any swan deaths.

We just roll over and allow whatever to be done to us, our rivers fish stocks are not at the same level that they were when otters hunted or died through poisoning, otters are now finishing them off, who cares according to your post above nobody other than anglers, we don't count we have no voice (no matter what the Angling Trust may tell you) we have no image, stop worrying about what others may think.

I would love to see all anglers not buy a licence and the EA be forced to do what its should but its not going to happen.
 
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