I
Ian Cloke
Guest
A Pair of otters have upset anglers by stealing fish from a stocked loch on Harrods boss Mohamed al Fayed's Easter Ross estate.
Kildary Angling Club, which has around 130 members, has just spent around ?700 on stocking Kildary Loch with 260 rainbow trout. But a pair of otters have been seen feasting on the fish that club members had been hoping to catch.
Gordon Robertson, estate manager of Mr al Fayed's Balnagown Estate, at Kildary, near Tain, yesterday said that, although the Harrods chairman owned the loch, which is close to the A9 Inverness-Thurso road, he had always encouraged its use by the local community.
"We are pleased that the angling club has had the opportunity to use the loch to create enjoyment and employment but clearly, as otters have begun to re-establish themselves in this part of the world, they are going to go to where it's easiest to catch fish. There's been lots of PR about promoting otters, but their success is bound to have an impact," he said.
Mr Robertson suggested that, as otters were a highly protected species, it may be best for the angling club to ask Scottish Natural Heritage if they could be relocated. He added that the estate would be happy to help in any way possible.
Angling club treasurer Robin Nairn said they were not happy with the situation, but felt helpless to act. He said: "It's a real problem but we're realistic enough to know that we can't do anything about it. Even if they could be relocated, the chances are that others would turn up in their place."
Mr Nairn said otters took fish from the loch every year, but the pair spotted this year seemed to be more brazen about it.
He said a dead otter, which had apparently been hit by a vehicle, had recently been found beside the A9, but it was not known whether it was one of the pair seen taking fish from Kildary Loch.
The loch was featured on a BBC fishing programme for its environmental attractions and is a popular place for local people to walk.
A spokesman for SNH said otters were protected under the 1994 conservation regulations and the Scottish Executive would have to grant a licence for them to be relocated.
He added that this would only be done if it could be proved that they were causing serious damage to livestock or, in this case, fish stocks.
Kildary Angling Club, which has around 130 members, has just spent around ?700 on stocking Kildary Loch with 260 rainbow trout. But a pair of otters have been seen feasting on the fish that club members had been hoping to catch.
Gordon Robertson, estate manager of Mr al Fayed's Balnagown Estate, at Kildary, near Tain, yesterday said that, although the Harrods chairman owned the loch, which is close to the A9 Inverness-Thurso road, he had always encouraged its use by the local community.
"We are pleased that the angling club has had the opportunity to use the loch to create enjoyment and employment but clearly, as otters have begun to re-establish themselves in this part of the world, they are going to go to where it's easiest to catch fish. There's been lots of PR about promoting otters, but their success is bound to have an impact," he said.
Mr Robertson suggested that, as otters were a highly protected species, it may be best for the angling club to ask Scottish Natural Heritage if they could be relocated. He added that the estate would be happy to help in any way possible.
Angling club treasurer Robin Nairn said they were not happy with the situation, but felt helpless to act. He said: "It's a real problem but we're realistic enough to know that we can't do anything about it. Even if they could be relocated, the chances are that others would turn up in their place."
Mr Nairn said otters took fish from the loch every year, but the pair spotted this year seemed to be more brazen about it.
He said a dead otter, which had apparently been hit by a vehicle, had recently been found beside the A9, but it was not known whether it was one of the pair seen taking fish from Kildary Loch.
The loch was featured on a BBC fishing programme for its environmental attractions and is a popular place for local people to walk.
A spokesman for SNH said otters were protected under the 1994 conservation regulations and the Scottish Executive would have to grant a licence for them to be relocated.
He added that this would only be done if it could be proved that they were causing serious damage to livestock or, in this case, fish stocks.