otters report

[RICH PARSONS]

Hi all,
Was out at Lacock lost night. Was doing pretty well till for animals swam through my swim.
I didn't get a good look at what they were as it was dark and could only see there eyes and wake in my head light.
There eyes reflected orange in the light.
They acted a bit like mink in how they swam but they seemed very aggressive even swimming back towards me.
The one difference I noticed from the mink I have come across before was there sound as they hissed at me like a swan.
I'm not sure if they were otters or mink to be honest.

Rich

[CabbagePatchKid]

Just a thought about the various past comments about redressing the balance with the Otter poulation by re-stocking the rivers - forget it!

The more fish you put in, the more the Otter will flourish in keeping with available food stocks. The only way forward is to reduce the Otter populaton - simple as that.

If the EA won't do anything to protect our fishing I suggest a MASS boycott of the licence fee - let them feel it in their revenue, we all know deep down that its the only thing that will have any influence - FACT!

[ididcatchonce]

Hi Nick,

As you say, redressing the balance by re-stocking is just providing fresh sushi for the Otter population. However a boycott of the licence fee is a non starter. It is an offence to fish for freshwater fish and eels without a valid rod licence and if you are caught you may be fined up to £2,500. OK, the fine is unlikely to be anywhere near that amount but none the less you are still going to get a conviction and it's going to cost more than the £27 for this years licence.

As to reducing the Otter population by culling, this is unlikely ever to happen. However, as an alternative we perhaps should be trying to get some redress in the form of allowing nature to take it's course without any further interference from the human aspect. For instance, no more introductions and a ban on Otters being taken in, either adult or more often young, when they are found and then re-released once nurtured to full health or brought on to be released as semi-tame adults.

Whilst the general public are prone to helping the lovely little Otters and effectively adding to the problem by doing this, I doubt they would be happy to pay for x amount of live fish in order to sustain them. Maybe, just maybe, if and when the public are made more aware of the implications of having too many predators, they may realise that nature should be allowed to reach it's own balance without interference. As well as this the human contact and the Otters becoming used to being together in groups is actually adding to the problem. Otters by nature should be territorial creatures and not tolerate competition on "Their Patch" as it were. Because of the fact they have been raised and introduced artificially this seems no longer to be the case and the reason the impact on fish stocks has been so high. They are in fact more or less living as pack animals. Until the balance is redressed the problem is they predate until it is no longer viable then move to a new area.

The fact is that the public in general know little or nothing about what goes on below the surface of the water as it is not visible to them, or the far reaching implications of higher than sustainable predation to that environment. Maybe education is the only possible way forward.

Regards Martin

[CabbagePatchKid]

Of course you're right about the penalties in not having a licence, Martin - just my frustrated rantings, I'm afraid.
The point I'm trying to make is that the EA probably won't do a thing until their revenues are materially affected, and I can see a case for that actually happening if fish stocks continue to drop.

Take me, for example - been fishing for the fun of it since I was 6 years old - nearly 50 years. I've had a wonderful time over the years and shared the best company with friends and family.
I have a very busy life at work, with long hours and I have to make the effort to go fishing these days in the little spare time I have.
I love be at the side of a river and really believe there is more to fishing than catching fish, but I wouldn't pay my licence fee and turn-up with my tackle if there was little chance of catching anything - part of the enjoyment of fishing a blank is knowing the fish are there for another day. You all know what i mean.

I do hope it doesn't come to that, but simple logic suggests that people won't pay to fish for nothing and the danger is that many will gradually drift away to other, more gainful pursuits - at least until the situation improves.

Perhaps the EA, etc will act then

[NMD]

Hi guys have you seen the angling times this week, some fishery owners are trying to take natural England to court for the destoryed fisheries they have lost due to otters. As you know its Natural England that fund otter santories I beleave this is the way forward, find the funding source and reduce it .

I spoke to ruth lock at angling trust to see if we can bring a law in about otters being released without permission a crime. As you are aware if we get caught harming or killing a otter we are liable to prosacution if they release an otter without permission nothing happens? what good for us is good for them.

[CabbagePatchKid]

Hi Nick,
I agree entirely about the funding issue, although for now, the damage may be done I fear.

I think the fundamental problem, though, is the Protected Species issue. You can't maintain a natural balance with an apex predator enjoying protected status. Whether it's a Lion, a Crocodile, an Otter or even a Pike - if you release enough without check they will eat all the food available. In time Nature will achieve a balance, but initially too many predators will run out of food and in turn their numbers will be unsustainable, etc.

All this doesn't help us, as this cycle will take many years to reach some sort of equilibrium, with fish stocks naturally being the first casualty. Eventually, though these idiots will be continuously releasing their tame Otters to a short life of guaranteed starvation.

Nick

[NMD]

Off to see David Cameron in April with martin bowler and john wilson and a few others about the otter problems, hopefully put across a few suggestions.

[Thomas_Covenant]

The European otter is part of the same family as badgers, weasels, stoats, pine marten and mink (Mustelidae). It is a semi-aquatic fish-eating mammal. It is listed in the International Union for the Conservation of Natures' (IUCN) Red Book as 'vulnerable to extinction'. The number of otters in Britain is not known, but they are on the increase in some areas, with lots of sightings on rivers and in lakes near most of us.

Name
Otter (Lutra lutra)

Size
Length: 2-3 ft. 
Height: 12 in. 
Weight: 12-33lb, males are heavier
Breeding
Sexual maturity: Males, 18 months; females, 2 years. Mating: Any time; females mate 12 months after birth of previous litter. Gestation: 61-74 days Litter size: 1-6, average 2-3
Habit:
The otter's main habitat is along the seashore and the banks of rivers, lakes and streams. They are territorial and their territories cover 1 - 3 km along the seashore and 5 - 20 km along freshwater rivers and lakes. Otters do not migrate and live in their territories all year round.
European otters spend most of their lives in freshwater. They inhabits rivers, lakes, streams, ponds and along rocky coasts. It uses a variety of shelters, such as, crevices in rocks and under the roots of trees but it mainly uses dens called "holts" where the females give birth and bring up their young. The holt has a chamber above the level of the water and an exit under the water. There is also an airshaft connecting the chamber to the surface, which opens out into the thick thorny bushes or brambles. 


ENEMIES
The European otter has no known enemy but man. In the 1950's they were common throughout all of their range. After extensive hunting by man for sport, their fur, or to protect the salmon stocks, they were all but eliminated throughout most of Europe. Today it is illegal to hunt European otters, as they are so rare. They have an "endangered" status in Europe. Today their numbers are increasing very slowly due to Conservation efforts in the UK and Scandinavia include releasing otters born in captivity back into the wild.
Conservation

The European Otter declined across its range in the second half of the 20th century primarily due to pollution from pesticides such as organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Other threats included habitat loss and hunting, both legal and illegal European Otter populations are now recovering in many parts of Europe for example and the number of sites with an otter presence increased by 55% between 1994 and 2002 in Britain. Recovery is partly due to a ban on the most harmful pesticides that has been in place across Europe since 1979, partly to improvements in water quality leading to increases in prey populations, and partly to direct legal protection under the European Union Habitats Directive and national legislation in several European countries.

Breeding
Males (dogs) and females (bitches) first breed when they reach 2 years old. There is no breeding 'season', although in some areas breeding has been seen to take place in spring. It depends on the availability of food and habitat. In the wild, an average of 1 - 2 young are born in each litter.
The pups are born blind, naked and only 4 in. long. At six weeks the pups can see and are taught to swim. The mother will wean the pups at 4 months but the pups will stay with her until they are 8 to 12 months old. At that time, the pups will leave to find territories of their own. 
 When born the otter cubs are not natural swimmers and are ‘encouraged’ to enter the water by the mother.


Development
In the wild, an average of 1 - 2 young survive to adulthood. Males and females become independent when they reach 18 months. To survive in the wild, however, is not easy, particularly for a Carnivore and the otter will be lucky to reach the age of 4. However, there have been instances of otters living from 8-12 years, although possibly only one or two in a hundred will survive until this sort of age.

Diet
Otter's main food is small fish and crabs, but they are carnivores and will eat almost anything that is easy to catch, including birds and their eggs on both the water and the bank, small mammals also figure in the otters diet as do frogs. Its not only the abundance of a particular food source that is important but also how easy it is to catch. Slow moving coarse fish are easier to catch than trout or salmon, but these may be taken from time to time, perhaps when they are spawning. An average otter weighing 20lbs needs to eat on average 10 – 15% of its body weight of food per day. Taking those averages then an otter will need somewhere in the region of 1000lbs of food per year to survive…………….. that is a lot of food!

Identification
Otters are about the size of a small dog. Their coat is mainly brown, with a lighter brown bib. They have small ears and eyes on a flattish head. Otter run with a lolloping gait on land, and hold their long thick tapering tail off the ground. They swim very flat on the water surface and when they dive their long tail flips over and can be seen clearly. Otters have a high-pitched squeak when calling to other otters and a whickering, loud angry chatter when threatening. The Eurasian otter has an acute sense of sight, smell and hearing. The eyes are placed high on the head so that it can see when the rest of the body is below water. Although the otter is an exceptionally good swimmer and fish catcher, it can only hold its breath for 20 seconds as it dives for its prey. You will often see a ‘bubble run’ across the surface of the water when the otter is swimming beneath the surface.

What to look for.

Otter spraints are deposited in many different shapes and forms. A sure way of identifying a spraint is by smell. The aroma given of by a spraint has been described as being fishy, new mown hay or even lavender. Once smelt you generally never forget it and it is the best way of convincing yourself that an otter deposited it. Spraints can suggest many things such as sex, the otter’s environment, their feeding habits, and their habits in general. You can also look for ‘runs’ along the bank side, almost like a narrow pathway. Fish carcasses are another sure sign of otter activity.

Not a definitive study on the otter but it may give you a small insight into the mammal that provokes so much fury in our chosen activity.

It is incredible to believe that there are such short sighted organisations who can release apex predators into water ways without a thought as to what damage they will do.

When there is no food left for them to eat, and no fish for us to catch, what then, what will the liberal minded otter lovers say then. It may take ten or so years for the otters to wipe out ever living thing in the waterways but when they do what will happen to them then, will they starve to death.............. or will they find something else to eat!

[runhunt]

well thats comprehensive!
anyway good luck to you nick with yor date with mr cameron, am not hopeful for you but hope your'e received well
regards paul

[NMD]

thanks runhunt, but can I stress to everyone on here this will be along battle and we can not afford to through the towel in on the first round. I will be going with two strong headed people martin bowler and john wilson two well respected anglers that can see our future dissappearing and we all must support them in every way. Don,t forget what someone said O well the otters will eat all the fish and they will all die of starvevation so know one wins we are looking at ways that both sides will benefit if things were done right in the first place such as strict regulations and stock control none of this would have happened, so again lazyness has caused it again. As stated above a 20lb otter eats 10%-15% of its body weight so thats a 1000lb of fish a year but double that because otters only eat the , heart, kidneys, and livers and thats not a lot that is eaten out of 1 fish! If you love your pass time we must fight for it and not be negative.