Otters killing barbel?

[Thalia]

Pikey - didn't think you were coming across as against the Otter Trust. I was generalising about man and meddling blah blah, but didn't think in this case it was that merited.

Chris - you can do anything with a picture these days

Greg - biggest mammal predator? That used to be the wolf surely?

 

[captain carrott]

biggest mammal predator? That used to be the wolf surely?

no it was the brown bear. and they do eat fish.

 

[Thalia]

didn;t realise the bear was a mammal - don't they lay eggs?

 

[Ray De Lacy]

They do actually........the same as humans.

Right moody b*st*rds.

 

[joby]

the Otter does seem to get a bad press on these forums , but one of the worst predators is the Mink , it can swim climb and eats any thing , when we moved to Wales the Koi that I had for over 12 years were eaten by mink , as it was winter and they were laying near the bottom ,I didn't realise that they were being eaten until I came out one morning and saw a fish of 2 foot in length laying on the grass with its head missing , I covered the pond with 2 layers of netting , and all was fine for 2 weeks , then I noticed a hole in the mesh , I new then they had come back for the rest , it would have cost me over £4000 to replace the fish , we have the animal rights liberators to thank for releasing 40,000 into the wild some years back

 

[mark brailsford 2]

I wouldn't be suprised if they did kill barbel but they're native to the British Isles and so have a right be there.

Any decline in fish stocks should not be cause to vilify otters.

I have heard that otters will kill mink too which are by no means native and pose a much bigger threat than the otter.

Otters kill Mink but they leave our own water voles alone which Mink kill! Otters are native to this country, Mink are not and they pose a bigger threat than the poor old Otter ever will!
LEAVE THE OTTERS ALONE!!

 

[Fred Bonney]

Blimey, dragged this one out only 6 years old!
Nothings changed apart from an EA report from Karen Twine on the Upper Ouse tracking the same group of barbel for over a couple of
years just down the road from AM.!!

 

[benny samways]

Otters kill Mink but they leave our own water voles alone which Mink kill

Im afraid that is tosh. Otters are not finicky eaters and will eat what ever they can. Both the mink and the otter eat water voles.

Otters are not to blame for the decline of the Barbel in the Ouse, the fact that the barbel all appear to be jaffers is one of the main reasons!

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Im afraid that is tosh. Otters are not finicky eaters and will eat what ever they can. Both the mink and the otter eat water voles.

I am afraid your wrong there mate, contact the otter trust for more info!

 

[binka]

I'd be far more worried about Mink than I would Otters, I regularly used to see Mink around the Kegworth area on the Soar a few years ago which were the result of the animal activists breaking in to somewhere or other, I think around Loughborough and releasing them in to the wild.

I don't think i've ever had the pleasure of seeing a wild Otter but noticed a Mink only a few weeks ago at the Newark stretch of the Trent and judging by the direction it came from in broad daylight it felt little threat from man.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Evil little *******s mate! When I go to Mull I usually camp on the shore facing the ferry terminal and an old dog otter would often pay me a little visit in the mornings...we had a great respect for each other and knew I would not harm him. The local sea Eagles would sometimes call to, great sight!

 

[benny samways]

I am afraid your wrong there mate, contact the otter trust for more info!

No I'm not.

Voles are vunerable to predation from cats, dogs, pike, herons, foxes, badgers, hawks, otters, mink and owls. Thats just off the top of my head.

Only Mink can follow Voles down their burrows but all of the above predators will eat a Vole if they come across one and they are hungry!

Because Mink can go into their burrows, Mink actively hunt Voles and will wipe out whole colonies. Otters do not actively hunt Voles but will eat them.

Ironically because Otters will not tolerate Mink then this will have a postivie effect on Vole numbers as they are no longer specifically targeted once Mink are driven out/killed.

It is this reason that Otters are often said to be benificial to Vole populations, not because they dont eat them.

 

[mark brailsford 2]

No I'm not.

Voles are vunerable to predation from cats, dogs, pike, herons, foxes, badgers, hawks, otters, mink and owls. Thats just off the top of my head.

Only Mink can follow Voles down their burrows but all of the above predators will eat a Vole if they come across one and they are hungry!

Because Mink can go into their burrows, Mink actively hunt Voles and will wipe out whole colonies. Otters do not actively hunt Voles but will eat them.

Ironically because Otters will not tolerate Mink then this will have a postivie effect on Vole numbers as they are no longer specifically targeted once Mink are driven out/killed.

It is this reason that Otters are often said to be benificial to Vole populations, not because they dont eat them.

Did I say anything about otter eating Voles? I just said they left them alone!

 

[paulvjwhite]

yes,otters do kill barbel.i have been a bailiff for various clubs in the lea valley for 20+ years,in that time have seen four barbel dead/ partially eaten.that might not seem to be many,but how many are eaten which anglers do not discover.all these barbel were on the bank clear of the water.i have seen otters in the lea valley on 5 seperate occasions,one in august last year stood six feet away from me ,whilst i was trotting before casually swimming away.

 

[cg74]

Otters kill Mink but they leave our own water voles alone which Mink kill! Otters are native to this country, Mink are not and they pose a bigger threat than the poor old Otter ever will!
LEAVE THE OTTERS ALONE!!

Im afraid that is tosh. Otters are not finicky eaters and will eat what ever they can. Both the mink and the otter eat water voles.

I am afraid your wrong there mate, contact the otter trust for more info!

No I'm not.

Voles are vunerable to predation from cats, dogs, pike, herons, foxes, badgers, hawks, otters, mink and owls. Thats just off the top of my head.

Only Mink can follow Voles down their burrows but all of the above predators will eat a Vole if they come across one and they are hungry!

Because Mink can go into their burrows, Mink actively hunt Voles and will wipe out whole colonies. Otters do not actively hunt Voles but will eat them.

Ironically because Otters will not tolerate Mink then this will have a postivie effect on Vole numbers as they are no longer specifically targeted once Mink are driven out/killed.

It is this reason that Otters are often said to be benificial to Vole populations, not because they dont eat them.

Did I say anything about otter eating Voles? I just said they left them alone!

Sorry it's me pointing this out but the eating/killing of voles is hardly leaving them alone is it?

Otters are ever ready opportunists that will take advantage of any easy meal that comes their way (1m16s in):
A heron takes on an otter and loses - YouTube

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Did you actually see an Otter kill any barbel?
I would really love to see proof of an otter killing a barbel! Oh and it's funny you never hear of them taking pike, tench or chub, it's allways Barbel And carp. Funny that!

 

[bennygesserit]

I would rather see an otter than a big fat , unnaturally stocked pig of a barbel anyday

 

[cg74]

I would rather see an otter than a big fat , unnaturally stocked pig of a barbel anyday

Ahhh but what about a long sleak truly wild indigenous barbel (they do exist), and a fat arsed half tame otter that's been reintroduced (stocked) by humans.

Which would you prefer then?

 

[bennygesserit]

Ahhh but what about a long sleak truly wild indigenous barbel (they do exist), and a fat arsed half tame otter that's been reintroduced (stocked) by humans.

Which would you prefer then?

Ask me in fifty years when things are balanced again


The answer is both

 

[cg74]

Ask me in fifty years when things are balanced again


The answer is both

Fair answer.

As highlighted by Mark B's posts, I think the experts (Otter Trust, Natural England and the EA) also need 50 years to actually learn about otters, as it appears all their knowledge was established when the species were in decline.

- Otters are not shy and fearful of humans, quite the opposite (even ones that have been raised in the wild).
- They are not exclusively (or even primarily) nocturnal, they are equally active in daylight. They adapt according to habits of their prey species.
- They do predate on more than just fish and crustaceans (birds and small mammals are very much on the menu).
- They aren't that secretive as some claim, this is just a ruse to explain away why so called experts really know so little about them.