Otters Feast on Fish Stocks at Water Park
Posted on: Friday, 16 May 2008, 09:00 CDT
By Jim Entwistle
OTTERS are being blamed for the destruction of fish-stocks at a fishery near Darlington.
The amphibious mammals have feasted on hundreds of specimen fish, worth thousands of pounds, at Middleton St George water park.
Anglers who fish the lakes claim their sport is being ruined, and some have left Ferryhill and District Angling Club (FDAC), which owns the lakes' fishing rights.
Just seven months ago, the beleaguered fishery's carp stocks were targeted by immigrants from eastern European countries where the fish is seen to be a delicacy.
Environment Agency patrols cured that problem, but Alf Pennock, membership secretary of FDAC, said the otter is proving more difficult to deter.
As they are a protected species, any attempt to move or kill otters is strictly forbidden under law.
"Our hands are tied, " Mr Pennock said. "We can't move the otters, trap them or do anything.
"We work alongside nature as a club. We like to see otters in the wild, on the rivers, but in a closed water like this, they just clean everything out.
"Carp fisherman live and breathe the sport, so when they see a 20lb specimen lying on the bank, half-eaten, it devastates them.
"They have had enough and some of them have left."
Ward councillor Doris Jones, chairwoman of the parish council, which owns the fish in the water park, said the facility had been a victim of its own success.
"For so long we've been trying to attract wildlife into the water park, " she said. "Yes, the otter is catching fish as fast as it can, but there are still lots of fish in there.
"It is the pride of the village.
We want to encourage nature where possible, but we need to find a way to keep everyone happy."
Government nature agency Natural England recommends fencing is erected to prevent otters accessing affected water, but as the water park is a public space, this option has been ruled out.
Wildlife officer Rachael McFarlane of the Environment Agency said: "Most anglers welcome the return of otters as an indication of an improving natural environment.
"However, the Environment Agency recognises that predation by otters can sometimes cause damage to certain fisheries, primarily specimen carp waters."
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Source: Northern Echo
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