Hypocrits

[davelumb]

Jason had it nailed. The reason otters don't eat water voles is the mink beat them to the buffet table.

in that case shouldnt that read ----" The reason otters can't eat water voles is the mink beat them to the buffet table"

Either way it's the reason there are no water vole bones in otter spraint.

[David Vaissiere]

The owners of the lake asked for its removal by the EA Fisheries team .......so the EA relocated it with the blessing of the Catfish Conservation group.....no harm no foul.....

Wel Catfish are still considered to be a invasive species in the UK....

Seems strange that the EA can summon up the resources to relocate a single catfish...

A few weeks ago the EA netted a couple of small lakes near me that contained zander, the zeds were to be killed and dissected for research, however the owner of a well known fishery offered to take the zander (held the required license as zander had be present in his fishery previously) but the EA said that it wasn't financial viable to move them as it was likely only a small amount of zander would be caught.
How can they afford to move a single catfish and yet the zander were destroyed, it doesn't make sense?

[alan behenna]

The owners of the lake asked for its removal by the EA Fisheries team .......so the EA relocated it with the blessing of the Catfish Conservation group.....no harm no foul.....

Wel Catfish are still considered to be a invasive species in the UK....

Seems strange that the EA can summon up the resources to relocate a single catfish...

A few weeks ago the EA netted a couple of small lakes near me that contained zander, the zeds were to be killed and dissected for research, however the owner of a well known fishery offered to take the zander (held the required license as zander had be present in his fishery previously) but the EA said that it wasn't financial viable to move them as it was likely only a small amount of zander would be caught.
How can they afford to move a single catfish and yet the zander were destroyed, it doesn't make sense?

Yeh, it does.............

Profile raising publicity exercise being seen in positive light to be "caring" by "saving the fluffy ducks" from big nasty monster.

Course', if it had been an Otter they wouldn't have gone near it.

[Fentiger01]

How can they afford to move a single catfish and yet the zander were destroyed, it doesn't make sense?

PR and nothing else.

[sebshelton]

Not so many otters locally to me in the past couple of years, but more mink. Apparently they don’t get on What’s the minks track record with pike... I don’t recall them ever being blamed for a decline in pike numbers?

[Kev Berry]

Not so many otters locally to me in the past couple of years, but more mink. Apparently they don’t get on What’s the minks track record with pike... I don’t recall them ever being blamed for a decline in pike numbers?

Theres a few YouTube videos showing mink taking trout to around 6lb.....and swans.

[David Vaissiere]

The owners of the lake asked for its removal by the EA Fisheries team .......so the EA relocated it with the blessing of the Catfish Conservation group.....no harm no foul.....

Wel Catfish are still considered to be a invasive species in the UK....

Seems strange that the EA can summon up the resources to relocate a single catfish...

A few weeks ago the EA netted a couple of small lakes near me that contained zander, the zeds were to be killed and dissected for research, however the owner of a well known fishery offered to take the zander (held the required license as zander had be present in his fishery previously) but the EA said that it wasn't financial viable to move them as it was likely only a small amount of zander would be caught.
How can they afford to move a single catfish and yet the zander were destroyed, it doesn't make sense?

Yeh, it does.............

Profile raising publicity exercise being seen in positive light to be "caring" by "saving the fluffy ducks" from big nasty monster.

Course', if it had been an Otter they wouldn't have gone near it.

Good point Alan, it all makes sense now!

[Mike J]

Kev, et all.

https://www.conservationjobs.co.uk/arti ... cosystems/


A very concise paper supporting Kev's statement that Otters can predate on Water Voles.

Bookmark for future reference?

[Kev Berry]

Kev, et all.

https://www.conservationjobs.co.uk/arti ... cosystems/


A very concise paper supporting Kev's statement that Otters can predate on Water Voles.

Bookmark for future reference?

I think I said otters will eat anything they come across they can kill. (including water voles)

this extract from you link says the same---just a bit more scientifically put


Though seemingly of little importance mammalian species are however a regular feature in otter diet occurring to a small degree in the majority of studies with the exception of Lanszki et al (2010) in their study of a Hungarian otter population. The regular occurrence of mammals throughout the literature further portrays the otter as an opportunist with the ability to exploit a prey source where abundant or when chance encounters make predation possible.

[alan behenna]

Kev, et all.

https://www.conservationjobs.co.uk/arti ... cosystems/


A very concise paper supporting Kev's statement that Otters can predate on Water Voles.

Bookmark for future reference?

I think I said otters will eat anything they come across they can kill. (including water voles)

this extract from you link says the same---just a bit more scientifically put


Though seemingly of little importance mammalian species are however a regular feature in otter diet occurring to a small degree in the majority of studies with the exception of Lanszki et al (2010) in their study of a Hungarian otter population. The regular occurrence of mammals throughout the literature further portrays the otter as an opportunist with the ability to exploit a prey source where abundant or when chance encounters make predation possible.

It's what anyone with sufficient "awareness" and half a brain has known for a long time, from having been "out on the ground" over the years. It's only the rose tinted spectacle wearers from the Walt Disney brigade that will continue to be in denial. We have a large (Dog Otter) Predator that can get to a yard in length and around 15Kilos in body-weight, which is an opportunistic feeder, of course it's going to scoff anything it comes across, fish, mammals, birds, crabs, hares (Scotland) and it's also a scavenger (dead stuff), you name it. What was interesting for this ol' boy was the occurrence of lamb predication by our cuddly Tarkus'.

Far from the cosy picture painted by the tree hugging brigade. Am I anti-otter(?)........not really........folks just need to be aware of "what their looking at".

[Kev Berry]

Kev, et all.

https://www.conservationjobs.co.uk/arti ... cosystems/


A very concise paper supporting Kev's statement that Otters can predate on Water Voles.

Bookmark for future reference?

I think I said otters will eat anything they come across they can kill. (including water voles)

this extract from you link says the same---just a bit more scientifically put


Though seemingly of little importance mammalian species are however a regular feature in otter diet occurring to a small degree in the majority of studies with the exception of Lanszki et al (2010) in their study of a Hungarian otter population. The regular occurrence of mammals throughout the literature further portrays the otter as an opportunist with the ability to exploit a prey source where abundant or when chance encounters make predation possible.

It's what anyone with sufficient "awareness" and half a brain has known for a long time, from having been "out on the ground" over the years. It's only the rose tinted spectacle wearers from the Walt Disney brigade that will continue to be in denial. We have a large (Dog Otter) Predator that can get to a yard in length and around 15Kilos in body-weight, which is an opportunistic feeder, of course it's going to scoff anything it comes across, fish, mammals, birds, crabs, hares (Scotland) and it's also a scavenger (dead stuff), you name it. What was interesting for this ol' boy was the occurrence of lamb predication by our cuddly Tarkus'.

Far from the cosy picture painted by the tree hugging brigade. Am I anti-otter(?)........not really........folks just need to be aware of "what their looking at".

Its like any predator Alan--it will predate on anything it can eat.

Watched a wildlife programme the other night---Giant Killers---lions killing elephants
BUT--- it also showed young lions of about a year or so old catching small birds and tiny piglets that were barely a mouth full.

The rose tinted gasses brigade really need to be educated about what happens in nature---all the characters in Wind in the Willows bar Toad, Ratty (water vole) and Mole are predators, they don't eat wild flowers grass and mushrooms like some of the tree huggers seem to think