Just for Greg Whitehead
- Thread starter The bad one
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Greg Whitehead
Well-known member
Saw it yesterday thinks Phil. Not very scared of people (or moving vehicles) are they? Give it ten years and they'll have munched their way through a hell of a lot of fish.....
Or, they may develope a taste for half eaten burgers!!
Next on your river bank a Burger King ,or maybe even The Anglers Trust(McDonalds) Ltd.
Next on your river bank a Burger King ,or maybe even The Anglers Trust(McDonalds) Ltd.
The bad one
Well-known member
Or, they may develope a taste for half eaten burgers!!
Next on your river bank a Burger King ,or maybe even The Anglers Trust(McDonalds) Ltd.
Fred, burgers? You insulting Tarka's very refined pallet. You can clearly see he's making his way to the Yan Sing across the street. The finest Chinese Restaurant in the UK (officially voted that several years running). Where he'll take his pick of of the live carp swimming in the tank for customers to pick for eating as their first course. Followed by the glazed honey whole Duck. Rounded off with the house special, crayfish ice cream.
My informant in Bretton Peterborough, tells me the whole team at Angling Times are footing the bill for his banquet as they're so so pleased to see otters back nationally.
They might regret the commitment to the bill when it land in the office as it costs £50 a course, and as we all know Tarkas can eat a lot of fish, particularly carp.
Robert Woods
Senior Member
I was fishing the Severn today when I saw a big eel trying to climb up steep bank opposite...plenty of splashes...think Taka had hold of eel's tail.
MarkTheSpark
Senior Member
May I just disassociate myself from this remark? I am not the informant of whom The Bad One speaks. Particularly relevant as I AM pleased otters are back. One day they'll get into the AT pond at Media House, then there'll be trouble, eh Greg?
Lee Swords
Well-known member
I too am glad that Otters are back from the brink but I think that it is very very sad to see such a magnificent creature scavenging for mouldy halfeaten scraps left over from the previous nights revelry simply because some " know-all" acted before they engaged thier brain.
The Otters natural habitat is unable to sustain them in high numbers...and that is the main issue and that is what should be addressed before anymore reintroduction schemes are funded/acted upon.
I will be the happiest man in angling when I see an otter on the Don at Attercliffe or on the Trent because both those river have a good level of food items that are of a low financial value ( crayfish, flounder, eels, crabs, mussels, clams, rats, coots and also mink and mink babies)
places like the Wensum and Great Ouse don't have the same level of disposable biomass before you reach items of high financial value...and that is where the problem lies
The Otters natural habitat is unable to sustain them in high numbers...and that is the main issue and that is what should be addressed before anymore reintroduction schemes are funded/acted upon.
I will be the happiest man in angling when I see an otter on the Don at Attercliffe or on the Trent because both those river have a good level of food items that are of a low financial value ( crayfish, flounder, eels, crabs, mussels, clams, rats, coots and also mink and mink babies)
places like the Wensum and Great Ouse don't have the same level of disposable biomass before you reach items of high financial value...and that is where the problem lies
MarkTheSpark
Senior Member
I'm not sure that's the case, Lee. In the first place, most of the spread of otters in recent years has been the result of successful, natural breeding. In the second place, I doubt very much whether it was eating food scraps; they don't, as far as I know. It was spotted between the Manchester Ship Canal and Rochdale Canal, and I suspect it was doing what otters often do - travelling overland in search of pastures new.
In a sense, it's great news - it suggests Manchester's canals support fish life. Newcastle's another place where otters have been seen wandering the streets, and they are enjoying the Tyne's rebirth as a fishery
In a sense, it's great news - it suggests Manchester's canals support fish life. Newcastle's another place where otters have been seen wandering the streets, and they are enjoying the Tyne's rebirth as a fishery
Graham Whatmore
Senior Member
I think you are probably right Mark but it is an unusual picture nevertheless. Nothing new though as this report shows
ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)
Well-known member
Taken from the original clip"
"Adam Grogan, RSPCA wildlife rehabilitation coordinator, said it was becoming increasingly common to see otters in city environments. He added: "It's not unheard of to see an otter in an urban area - we have been seeing them on the streets of Glasgow for some time now."
"Adam Grogan, RSPCA wildlife rehabilitation coordinator, said it was becoming increasingly common to see otters in city environments. He added: "It's not unheard of to see an otter in an urban area - we have been seeing them on the streets of Glasgow for some time now."
Stealph Viper
Well-known member
It's amazing what you can see on the streets of Glasgow on a Saturday Night, i've seen many a Fat Beaver, and that's just in the Pubs
Lee Swords
Well-known member
Most of the spread in recent years has been through re-introduction schemes.
Sometimes into rivers unsuitable to sustain them and anglers in a happy balance.
Like I said I will be happy to see one in Sheffield...I just don't want it to be eating a half finished kebab when I do
Sometimes into rivers unsuitable to sustain them and anglers in a happy balance.
Like I said I will be happy to see one in Sheffield...I just don't want it to be eating a half finished kebab when I do
Greg Whitehead
Well-known member
They're welcome to anything in that lake - it's mainly dumped goldfish, ornamental carp and orfe, not a 'proper' fish to be seen last time I lumped a 10kg bucket of particles in the margins....
The bad one
Well-known member
Lee for fear of repeating myself from the very long protracted thread sometime, ago your partially right about re-introductions Programme. Many are 4th 5th generations of the release programme but, not all.
The History of the re-introduction Programme is here http://www.ottertrust.org.uk/pdf/book/release_programme.pdf
As for seeing them in Steel City and the Trent. The latter they're there already and could well be in the city as well.
Here's an exclusive, the latest Otter Sruvey will reveal that Otters have been recorded in every County of England.
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Dave Slater
Well-known member
I think you sum it up perfectly Lee
Sean Meeghan
Well-known member
They're in Leeds as well - haven't done the roach fishing any harm
Lee Swords
Well-known member
Yes they are on the Don and rumoured on the Rother but I havent seen one yet, it will be great when I do.
I would also like to catch a salmon on the Don
But for that to be viable a lot of work has yet to be done in reversing/negating the effect of man made structures that impede the migrationof the Salmon.
Crimpsall sluice is a fine example of what needs to be done to help the Salmon bounce back and become viable on the Don system again.
Yes...It would be easy to stock 100k of salmon parr per year into the upper Don but the state of the river would ensure natural returns and subsequent recruitment would be pathetic.That is why Crimpsal sluice was built..It was genius outside the box thinking!
The same type of thought needs to be aplied to Otters...The foundations have to be set to sustain them and if that means building off river nurseries and such likes to ensure our rivers have a naturally higher level of Otter prey then so be it.
At the end of the day we will all be winners.
I would also like to catch a salmon on the Don
But for that to be viable a lot of work has yet to be done in reversing/negating the effect of man made structures that impede the migrationof the Salmon.
Crimpsall sluice is a fine example of what needs to be done to help the Salmon bounce back and become viable on the Don system again.
Yes...It would be easy to stock 100k of salmon parr per year into the upper Don but the state of the river would ensure natural returns and subsequent recruitment would be pathetic.That is why Crimpsal sluice was built..It was genius outside the box thinking!
The same type of thought needs to be aplied to Otters...The foundations have to be set to sustain them and if that means building off river nurseries and such likes to ensure our rivers have a naturally higher level of Otter prey then so be it.
At the end of the day we will all be winners.
MarkTheSpark
Senior Member
Absolutely right, Lee. If the rivers aren;t sustainable there's no point in stocking fish OR otters. River habitats need to be improved as a primary method of tackling lack of fish, not something that's just written off as unaffordable.
Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)
Senior Member
Is this an FM first?
Swordsy and Sparky in agreement
Swordsy and Sparky in agreement
Lee Swords
Well-known member
I do believe it is
:O)
:O)