The Angling Trust is seeking a relaxation of the law regarding the control of certain piscivorous predators, specifically cormorant, goosander and merganser, and has written to Richard Benyon MP, Minister for the Environment, to make its case.
I'm a fanatical angler and a member of the Trust, but believe it has overstepped the mark on this occasion. Sadly, when he is struggling to catch fish the average angler always sees predators as a convenient scapegoat. The reality, as I see it, is that while predators might exacerbate a problem, they are never the root cause.
There are many issues affecting freshwater fish populations at the moment: habitat degradation, abstraction, pollution in various forms (including endocrine disruptors) and not least anglers' own indulgence in stocking fish (often alien species) into waters where they would not naturally thrive and breed. In addition, I think the severe weather patterns of recent years could have had an impact - the floods of summer 2007 and the harsh winters of 2009-10 and 2010-11. But all this is irrelevant to most anglers, who think that if cormorants and otters could be shot on sight the situation would rapidly improve. A group of leading anglers has even gone as far as forming a Predator Action Group to campaign on the issue.
I just wanted to draw this to the attention of RSPB members in the hope that some of you might be tempted to fight the predators' corner, perhaps by writing to Richard Benyon MP to oppose The Angling Trust on this matter. Or perhaps this is something that should be tackled at the top level by the RSPB?
So sorry - we are on the case and grateful for your support.
A fuller response will follow.
Best wishes
Watch out for swifts
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Scurfield. How infuriating that people could think this way, when the predatory birds are just doing what they need to do to survive - and have been doing so long before man decided he wanted to catch a fish.
Hopefully their proposals will get them nowhere, because it will be a downward spiral for anything that eats fish if they do because no doubt otters will also be high on their kill it list as there have already been issues surrounding anglers and otters. It is rediculous to want to kill something that has to kill to survive so someone can catch the same fish, drag it out of the water, pose for a photo and then throw it back in! The birds are wild animals killing wild fish, if they don't want the birds to get them they should build indoor artifical fishing pools free from nature that they can sit beside to catch their fish (or not catch). The birds are part of a healthy eco-system and plenty of anglers seem to be doing enough to try and kill waterfowl by leaving their lines in the water for birds to get tangled up in!
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
Very interesting and worrying post, thank you Scurfield.
Quote: " But all this is irrelevant to most anglers, who think that if cormorants and otters could be shot on sight the situation would rapidly improve."
I find this a very sad statement and wonder if the majority of anglers really feel this way. Obviously, you do not agree, and I know one or two anglers personally, who would also be absolutely against such measures.
I am sure the RSPB will investigate and, if necessary, campaign against relaxation of the law and I would certainly support them.
Kind regards Jane.
Im a Mad keen fisherman and have been since I was old enough to catch sticklebacks in me wee bandynet.
This is totaly unacceptable . I now fish a private beat on the River Dee . To think of being on the river and not seeing the sawducks or Otter or having my yearly fishing compition with the local Ospray realy sucks Its just stupid . Ask any real fisherman and they will tell you catching a fish is second to being on the river and watching it in all its wonder.
This I think comes more from Those that have Trout ponds and carp lakes and to me thats not fishing Its catching pets. Gimme the river and the wildlife any day of the week and this realy should be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand .
Wildlife has to come first and not a photo with the newest hibrid trout or 50lbs carp.
I hope its gets thrown out .
Cheers
AL
If its no fun Yer no doin it right!
Thanks for all your comments on this thread, you may have read today or heard on the radio that the government have responded to the Angling Trusts request for a relaxation of the law regarding controlling cormorants. Richard Benyon has announced that he intends to review the cormorant licensing system. We look forward to participating in that review and here's what our Director of Conservation has to say about it.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Another sad pointless intervention by humans trying to play god!
Will we ever learn.
regards
Craig
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. - Albert Einstein
"Another sad pointless intervention by humans trying to play god!" Like the reintroduction of the otter? No research into how it affects the current ecosystem after its natural absence, hastily done by natural England and the Blair administration. I guess if the fish food chain is disrupted enough, the cormorant & otter numbers will die back naturally anyway. Further control on the number of cormorants would at least help those areas of river where cormorant predation has almost wiped out an entirely natural head of wild fish not "Trout ponds and carp lakes" but huge numbers of grayling and brown trout on small rivers have been taken from the rivers by the birds. I doubt that any angler is suggesting killing every cormorant but anglers take notice of what happens in the surrounding environment and care about it. As do bird watchers and anyone else who appreciates the natural world.
Interesting comments Dave776, you might be interested to read Natural Englands comments here on the otter reintroduction in the 1980's, only 117 individuals were released and the scheme was halted when the population started to show signs of natural recovery. This coincides with a dramatic improvement in the quality of the riparian habitat which has been seen in many rivers around the UK.
Have cormorants and otters wiped out grayling and wild brown trout anywhere in the UK? I have not heard of or seen any confirmed cases of this before, can you highlight any research or name the sites, we'd be interested to see the evidence. Maybe you should speak to the Environment Agency if you have noticed a complete absence of these fish from a river as it is likely to be something far more sinister than otters or cormorants that is responsible, like diffuse pollution for example.
Im sure you are already aware of the current ongoing research into the affect of cormorant and otter predation in the UK which is a difficult and lengthy process. The question "Have cormorants and otters wiped out grayling and wild brown trout anywhere in the UK?" is fundamentally flawed in that by the time that happens, its already too late. The increase in cormorant predation on my local rivers in the last 10 years surely cant be unrelated to the huge decline in the fish population, when water quality has improved, habitat improvement and volunteer clean up schemes should have shown an increase in numbers of grayling and brown trout - Occam's razor. Populations of other birds and animals that rely on fish to eat could be in jeopardy. For example, the kingfisher, this bird does not eat the same size of fish that the cormorant does. After a cold spring there are always far fewer minnows and then the kingfisher has to rely on the baby roach and dace etc, of which there are none of because the adult fish from which these baby fish come are vastly depleted. I think a short sighted view by many bird watchers is perpetuating a potentially serious problem affecting our countries rivers.