Otters – It’s Time to Talk

The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) is holding a one day conference on Otters and Fisheries in Edinburgh on Wednesday 07 November 2012.

Delegates and speakers from all interested parties and those with experience in otter mitigation at fisheries in the UK and Europe are welcome to the conference. The aim is to bring everyone together to provide accurate information on otters and their impact on fisheries and also to provide practical advice and solutions to problems.  It is hoped that many representatives of the fishery community, including fisheries trusts, fish farmers, koi carp keepers and anglers, will attend.

At the end of the conference, representatives will be invited on to a working group and recommendations will be drawn up for further work to be carried out based on co-operation between otter scientists and fisheries. Proceedings will be produced for distribution to delegates but they will also be made available through the IOSF website for the wider public and through various fishery websites.

Amongst the topics to be discussed prior to an open discussion are the following:

Otters

Otter ecology, population numbers and distribution, past and present

Survey methods

Legal protection of otters

Other threats to fish stocks

Environmental damage to rivers including water extraction and pollution

Drought conditions in parts of the UK

Disease

Other predators (mink, herons, cormorants, etc) and invasive species

Fishery concerns

Anglers

Koi carp keepers

Fish farmers

Mitigation

Practical measures to protect fish stocks

Working with otters rather than against them

Possible compensation schemes as used in parts of mainland Europe

To find out more about the conference or to book contact enquiries@otter.org