Otters and signal crayfish

[no-one in particular]

But some waters get stocks annihilated by cats,then you would have nothing to fish for,this hasn't occurred in waters that i've fished with cats,but....

I am sure your right but even then I would rather fish for cat fish than crayfish so at least something is going for it whereas crayfish! I have only fished two places with crayfish and to me it completely ruined the fishing. It is only hypothetical on my part I know but that is the way I see it. I hope they come up with a way of eradicating them one day but then whatever it is there will be a downside same with catfish, there always is with manmade solutions in nature, given that we usually started the problem in the first place, we should not risk starting them. And yet we still do it willingly even knowing what we know. That's why I don't agree with any introductions anymore, even the nice benign ones, they always start by thinking they can control it, solve it if it doesn't work out when in fact they won't without some sort of price, the evidence is always staring them in the face.

 

[Philip]

A word about Catfish. I am no fan but a Catfish like anything else won’t eat itself to extinction.

Catfish will target whatever is the easiest/most plentiful food source. If that’s Crays then it will be Crays. If that’s Roach then it will be Roach.

There is also the consideration that adding predators such as Catfish can sometimes even benefit the biodiversity of a fishery as they eat the most dominant species leaving space for other species to come through.

 

[steve2]

A word about Catfish. I am no fan but a Catfish like anything else won’t eat itself to extinction.

Catfish will target whatever is the easiest/most plentiful food source. If that’s Crays then it will be Crays. If that’s Roach then it will be Roach.

There is also the consideration that adding predators such as Catfish can sometimes even benefit the biodiversity of a fishery as they eat the most dominant species leaving space for other species to come through.

Always found it strange that fisheries wont put pike into their water because they eat fish and then put in Catfish. A Catfish that will eat anything large or small that will fit into its mouth. Tench being a favourite.

 

[rayner]

Restocking fish would be better than having a never-ending cray problem.