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Otter release in yorkshire

Geoff Blakesley

Senior Member
I have just read my local paper today which marvels at the amazing recovery of the otter on Yorkshire rivers. I was surprised that there was no mention of any release programs that have occurred in the area- or have they ? I would like to reply to their article so would appreciate any information suggesting that their recovery may not be entirely natural.
 

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have some interesting ideas regarding the spawning habits of eels.:D

According to John Traill, who is working on the project along the River Hull, fish and eels are unable to spawn on silted riverbeds.

“Fish and eels rely on a gravel bed to spawn, so we need to keep the rivers clean,” he said.
 
regarding geoffs post,fished the upper swale 2 weeks ago,2 chaps with a quad and trailer were installing large pipework to what looked like man made otter holts,dunno who finances this work,or are landowners paid to carry out maintenance and/or installation.
 
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have some interesting ideas regarding the spawning habits of eels.:D

According to John Traill, who is working on the project along the River Hull, fish and eels are unable to spawn on silted riverbeds.

“Fish and eels rely on a gravel bed to spawn, so we need to keep the rivers clean,†he said.

I assume you are saying that the Sargasso sea doesn't have a gravel bed to keep the eels happy Nigel :D:D

Perhaps that's why they are dying out...it takes the poor sods so long to get there that the news that it doesn't have any clean gravelly shallows has only just filtered through :D

All those years of pent up, unrequited love and subdued horny instincts...and when they can't stand waiting any longer, they set off in a mad rush for the Sargasso, only to find....nothing...not a gravel bed in sight. It's enough to put anyone off their stroke is that :p

I wonder if it was one of our 'well known high street travel companies' that sold them that package.....

Cheers, Dave
 
I've seen a very tame Otter in the river calder in Wakefield city centre this season, not at all bothered by me and several others on the bank in the middle of the day. No way, to me this creature hadn't been at some stage in mans captivity.

I'm not a hater of Otters, I honestly believe there is a place on our waterways for them (here in Yorkshire anyway). But I do think mass reintroduction (25 onto the derwent for instance), building of holts, reintroucing 'orphaned' otters and the like are unreasonable measures in looking after a healthy river ecosystem.

Jon
 
Rarely do I NOT see an otter when fishing the Yorkshire Derwent. Doesn't seem to have affected the barbel fishing but haven't had a bullhead in ages. :D
 
Earlier this year on Country File they were reporting that the run of elvers up the UK rivers was about 10 times (millions) greater than it has been in in recent years. Nature over its cycles seems to sort its self out.
I'm like Gavin in that my experience on the Yorkshire rivers doesn't seem to indicate a dramatic fish loss due to otters. The Nidd seems to have been better this year and the Swale marginally worse and, from catches there can't be a single otter in the Trent, and for that matter in the Wye either.
 
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