JohnRyan Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Hi thereOn a fishing forum someone was commenting on a problem with an otter release program in the area of the Wensum (?) a few years ago and the problems this has caused with the fish stocks in the area.Is anyone aware of this or was it just a blip?John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranworthbreeze Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Hello John,I have seen them on the Chet before you get to the large broad on the way up to Loddon.RegardsAlan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddfellow Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I've seen an otter around Reedham. We're pretty sure that there are Mink around Thorpe too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norton1 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I have seen Otters on virtually every river in Norfolk and to all intents and purposes they don't appear to be doing a lot of harm to fish stocks, except in areas like the upper Bure which was already sparsely populated by fish and now seems to be virtually void of them for long stretches of the river, which is more than a damned shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlesprite Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Fish and otters have lived in the same rivers for hundreds of years, left alone they will continue to do so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRyan Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Looking into this further there appears to be a correlation between otter numbers and fishing stock.Otters are territorial and cover areas between 5 – 21 miles depending on fish stock available.Therefore the greater the number of otters in any one area the greater the stocks of fish in that area with the reverse being true.Whether this generalisation can be applied to the Broads though is uncertain. Have they always been here? Or is their reappearance only recent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfreakley Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 They will decimate fish stocks over time, there will soon be too many and they will stray from the river to our fish ponds and other fisheries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRyan Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 I forgot about the fisheries. I've read elsewhere that otters are a real problem for the commerical fisheries in the South West. I'm not aware of any problems in my part of the world - yet! The attached link to Natural england re. otterproofing commerical fisheries makes good reading (might have to cut and paste it into your search engine.) http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/ottersandstillwaterfisheries_tcm6-4592.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBA Marine Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Nature finds equilibrium. Man hunted otters to near extinction on the broads, then fish levels rose because of mans meddling, happy times for those that fish. Man has acted again helping the otters return, there is lots of otter food hence how there numbers are so high, left alone their numbers will fall to the natural balance as the food levels return to where nature wants them to be. This however is not necessarily good news for the fisher folk but one has to argue that man catching fish for leisure/sport is probably not of much concern to mother nature Otters can be removed from private fishing lakes so that fish numbers can flourish and fishermen will have more joy there. I could also argue that there would be less goose sh*t everywhere if they were left to find their own food instead people thinking they need to feed the birds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickfreakley Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Not sure they can be removed from private lakes MBA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quo vadis Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Nature finds equilibrium. Man hunted otters to near extinction on the broads, then fish levels rose because of mans meddling, happy times for those that fish. Man has acted again helping the otters return, there is lots of otter food hence how there numbers are so high, left alone their numbers will fall to the natural balance as the food levels return to where nature wants them to be. This however is not necessarily good news for the fisher folk but one has to argue that man catching fish for leisure/sport is probably not of much concern to mother nature Otters can be removed from private fishing lakes so that fish numbers can flourish and fishermen will have more joy there. I could also argue that there would be less goose sh*t everywhere if they were left to find their own food instead people thinking they need to feed the birds! MBA are you sure you hav'nt been on the NBA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBA Marine Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 MBA are you sure you hav'nt been on the NBA? What is NBA? i thought it was some basket ball league in the USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baitrunner Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I have seen otters on the Bure, in Surlingham Broad and on the Yare down river from Bramerton. Also seen the videos of some boat owners in Brundall who caught them eating their dinner on the swim platforms. Do they decimate the fish stocks in a river? Who really knows for sure. Any reduction in fish stocks could be caused by all sorts of things - cormorants, pollution etc. One thing about Otters is they tend to go for larger fish and will kill them only to eat a small part of them. Not sure it's good news if your worried about otters taking over, but recent research indicates they are not breeding as well due to a reduction in their penis size caused by pollution - who got that job I have no idea and who linked pollution to this god only knows. What I have noticed is a massive increase in the last 2yrs of signal crayfish in a part of the upper Wensum I fish. Last time I fished it a dead bait came out after 10 mins with 5 crayfish hanging onto it. Now they are a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quo vadis Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 NBA Newcastle Brown Ale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadScot Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 NBA No Beer Available Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diesel falcon Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 What I have noticed is a massive increase in the last 2yrs of signal crayfish in a part of the upper Wensum I fish. Last time I fished it a dead bait came out after 10 mins with 5 crayfish hanging onto it. Now they are a pain. A pain? you can eat them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReedRunner Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Before we moved to Norfolk we lived in Hampshire.......and I used to do a lot of fishing on the Basingstoke canal where the signal crayfish were prolific. It was actually illegal if you caught one to throw it back so I regularly used to take them home. A couple of days in clean water to clean them out and then they made for good eating. Poor mans lobster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baitrunner Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 You only need a licence to trap them. They are fair game on rod and dead bait! I agree with Reedrunner in that I believe it is illegal to put them back - but don't take the local ones - you will know the difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxwellian Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 I live less than a mile from the Basingstoke canal. We often walk along it so that I can get a water/boat fix. A few times we have come across I wire hidden in the bank attaché to an illegal trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycemaster Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 I’ve been holidaying on the broads for 20 years it used to be a rare and exciting occasion when you saw a otter, some years you would not be lucky enough to spot one, now they are a daily occurrence. Just returned from 2 weeks boating and fishing, the fishing was very poor and what was caught was small Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpnut Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 8 hours ago, Boycemaster said: used to be a rare and exciting occasion when you saw a otter, some years you would not be lucky enough to spot one, now they are a daily occurrence. Just returned from 2 weeks boating and fishing, the fishing was very poor and what was caught was small Two separate facts, not necessarily related. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbx5 Posted July 2, 2022 Share Posted July 2, 2022 Not much fishing going on in Bargate Thursday night. MR Seal was about, there was a few big fish jumping out of the way ! John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hylander Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 You have heard the expression - who ate all the pies - well there is a certain Otter who resides in Reedham who I assume has eaten all of the fish. He is really bonny. Saying that hubby caught a nice Bass as did the guy next door and some lovely Bream. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulN Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 It is difficult to assess fish stocks in relation to otters. However, what I do know is that I see a lot more otters now and whereas a few years ago I use to see Tufted Ducks and Pochards, I don't see any now. Ducks, Great Crested Grebes and Dabchicks also appear to have diminished in numbers. I understand otters will take eggs from nests and also take young chicks. The way things are going we will finish up with just thousands of Greylag Geese which are just everywhere in huge numbers. These idiots who have reintroduced otters, should have left the eco structure of the Broads alone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annv Posted July 6, 2022 Share Posted July 6, 2022 Do you want otters OR fish to catch and Ducks to admire. You cant have both in the same area. John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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