OTTERS

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Weve recently had a few otters released on the avon near us .Not the otter native to the British Isles though ,apparently this is the european otter which is bigger .The holts were in place last year and the animals released unceromoniously some time in spring .Nothing in the press ,a low key manouvre by some misinformed group of licenced well wishers that have had a vast impact on the fishing on this once productive barbel section .Reports of double figure fish on the bank with a few bites missing are comimg in and the wild fowl ,once commen here is giving it a wide berth .Ive seen the otter in its wild state in scotland but its a novalty to see one trundling along a bank in Wiltshire .Time will tell if it was a good move or not .Try to get some pics of the damage and indeed the animals themselves .

[MuttleMcTuttle 21]

Native British otters were released on the river here about 20 years ago, but I can't say I noticed much disruption to the local wildlife in this area. However, they weren't the European ones, and they were very shy & we very rarely see them. When a lot of mink got loose they had a far greater impact, and for a couple of years there were very few water birds around. However, due to intensive trapping by anyone who keeps chickens the mink population does seem to be under control now, and the moorhens are making a comeback.

I'm thinking it's not a good thing to release animals that are not native to this country... we've only just got rid of coypu, and I don't think we'll ever wipe out grey squirrels.

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

My thoughts exactly mate .The fact that they arnt our native species is being looked into and we may see a reversal of this hopefully .

[SNAP SHOT 194]

i love otters.......

 

 

just little bundles of jumping fun.....

 

 

hope you get a shot of one mate....

 

snap.

[Hannah4181 260]

I love otters too.

[fireman 11,012]

There was a otter trust center near Bungay and when that closed a few were released localy and they have caused havock with the local fishing lakes,double figure fish being found half eaten and to be honest i've met a few old boys who have slipped a 410 into there rod bags when out fishing to try to protect the fish stocks.Was even asked by one baliff to walk a pond or two with the terriers to look for a holt,but i declined of course..

[SEAN3513 7]

anything native is fine by me.

 

anything that isn't always ends in a mis-balance, grey squirrels, signal cray fish etc etc.

 

why can't they(whoever they are) just leave well alone.

 

nature knows what its doing, lets face it, its had plenty of practice.

 

people seem intent on playing god, and it never works in the long term.

 

otters are beautiful creature, but lets stick to the british ones please !!!!!!!

 

just my opinion of course.

 

atb

 

sean

[hector 1]

been mooching the same river near glasgow for twenty yrs seen my first otter there two yrs ago and have seen a few others since spoke to gilles on the river no reintroduction plan just a clean up of two local rivers and after a few yrs they just appeared have seen otters on both rivers now not a lot but have seen them and they dont seem to have made any impact on the fish but both rivers have a high level of eels the otters fav food

[martin 332]

I have to say,the bigger threat still is the bloody Cormorants,there was a flight of about 12 over our way the other afternoon.............Martin.

[fireman 11,012]

They've been know to have been mistaken for a duck in the gloom of evening flight ,these old boys need spec savers!.

[Guest Rod&dog]

Foxy from what ive seen theres a fair few mink on the wiltshire avon and one or two otters already.

[neil cooney 10,416]

In a way I'd have more sympathy for the Cormorant than the Otter. The poor Cormorant is only in land because his food source offshore has been depleted. Although at this stage I think he needs culling. The Otter on the other hand has a plentiful food source but is very wasteful with it. To see a 7lb Brownie lieing on the bank with one bite taken out of it is sickening. And I'm talking about a wild fish.

They're plentiful around here. I've seen 5 in a morning. 2 is not unusual.

Although I'd never shoot one they're an efficient predator I've no sympathy for.

[J Darcy 5,871]

I'm afraid the Barbel are now under serious threat in our rivers. not the otters fault of course, but i really do believe we should have let them slowly recolonise rather than releases. And....let us be quite candid here, i bet there were many many releases by the so-called experts that have gone undocumented. I did hear they they had trapped otters from the north of Scotland for releasing down south. This, in itself, is sillly for the otter on the coastal regions of the very north will have differing habits and inbued methods of catching prey that evolution has ensures is fully honed to their habitat and region. Dropping said beasts into lowland river will only weaken the existing otter bloodline that is already present......That's my take on things.......

That said, i have only seen two this year......but there are tracks and spraint everywhere...if one knows where to look ......... JD