Clawford Fishery Fined for Invasive Species

[FishingMagic]

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Clawford Fishery Fined for Invasive Species

 

[Paul Boote]

High time. Too many getting away with to hell with the rules, think of the income, fishy micky-taking - illegal imports, guerrilla stockings etc - for far too long. Can't help feeling, however, that if the lakes had not had outflows that entered a salmon river (the Tamar in the case featured above), the prosecution would never have been brought.

 

[cg74]

High time. Too many getting away with to hell with the rules, think of the income, fishy micky-taking - illegal imports, guerrilla stockings etc - for far too long. Can't help feeling, however, that if the lakes had not had outflows that entered a salmon river (the Tamar in the case featured above), the prosecution would never have been brought.

Sadly I think you're right.... An ecological inequality!

Still, I'm pleased the offender is being hit hard.

 

[bennygesserit]

Fined for the catfish presumably not the gudgeon

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

"Although only 3 – 4 inches long, the topmouth gudgeon, is one of the higest risk non-native species in Europe and consequently is not permitted in any waters."



From another EA press release

Despite being only 3-4 centimetres long, topmouth gudgeon are particularly threatening to native fish in Britain, and are number seven on the Environment Agency’s list of most wanted invasive species. As well as eating the eggs of other fish, topmouths, which were introduced to the wild in Britain in the 1960s from their native Asia, breed at four-times the rate of native fish and carry a parasite, similar to, or possibly the same as, a disease called "rosette agent" which is found in some US fish stocks


Topmouth Gudgeon also eat vast quantities of plant life and invertebrates, which upsets the natural balance of a pond, lake or river. As a result, algal blooms can occur turning the water into a green soup. Had they been left to thrive in the pond, it was feared that they would have seriously affected the ecology of the pond.

 

[richiekelly]

High time. Too many getting away with to hell with the rules, think of the income, fishy micky-taking - illegal imports, guerrilla stockings etc - for far too long. Can't help feeling, however, that if the lakes had not had outflows that entered a salmon river (the Tamar in the case featured above), the prosecution would never have been brought.[/QUOTE]


i doubt it as well, i know of a water close to my home that has been illegaly stocked with Wells Catfish twice, its common knowledge that they are in the water, the controlling club knows as does the estate whos land the water is on, i wonder what the EA would do if i reported the water? not much i think.

 

[Eric Edwards]

The EA regard the topmouth gudgeon as a more serious threat - mainly because it is! There are quite a few illegal catfish around yet they aren't being targetted. Topmouth gudgeon are like an invasion of ants, extremely fecund and suited to our climate, they can come to dominate a water, pushing out native species.

 

[Paul Boote]

Yet, I assure you that if large cats were to start rolling in the pools of many a British salmon or sea-trout river, divers with spearguns would be sent in, nets used, coarsefishers hired to catch them, with high explosive being employed if all else failed. I cannot tell you how much many gamefishers dislike interloping coarse fish - particularly spawn hooverers like barbel (I first saw them at work on the Hants Avon below spawning salmon one late December when I was in my late teens decades ago - amazing) - every bit as much as some of the chaps who fish or own "instant carp" waters do, er, otters, nowadays...

 

[S-Kippy]

Without ever condoning it I can understand why a fishery owner might stock catfish but why topmouth gudgeon

 

[Eric Edwards]

They don't stock them intentionally, they arrive (often from abroad) as passengers on other fish. They are capable of clinging, limpet-like, on the inside of a carp's mouth for instance.

 

[Berty]

Do we need fish from abroad in our lakes?

Oh, i forgot, most of them are carp!!!

 

[eel611]

Crikey!! Sounds like a right nightmare!

 

[Greg2016]

I do find it funny when the owner had the last stage in cancer he would go to all the effort to add these fish to destroy his business and then have it reported right away...