I`ll just bet all the otters, mink, cormorants, goosanders, (some) eastern Europeans, e.t.c, e.t.c, absolutely love the close season when they can have a free for all, taking as many coarse fish to eat as they please with virtually no-one about on the banks. lets just hope that the boaters, cyclists, dog-walkers, sightseers, joggers, walkers, picknickers, and general public all who are allowed to "use" the rivers with impunity are enough to put off all these predators. the argument that most stillwaters are artificially stocked is a load of old bull-droppings, as for salmon anglers having a longer close season than us, it`s because the fish have stopped "running" or in other words SPAWNING.
why don`t we have a close season for salmon and sea trout when they spawn?
after all a large percentage of game fish are taken for the table and never get a chance to procreate. besides, when was the last time you took a couple of chub or barbel for the pot at spawning time ? let alone DURING the river season.
it`s not time for a rethink, it`s time to abolish this outdated and unfair (to river anglers) law. I suppose I`ll just have to wait till may when I can legally "knock out" 300 lb of carp dripping with spawn and milt NOT!!
Lets have a look at your points one by one eh?
Otters fully protected species; like it or not there's very little on rivers anybody legally can do about them.
Mink they are vermin, an alien species, the only requirement to deal with them is you dispatch them humanely under the Animal Welfare Act. So trap them and dispatch by shooting them whilst in the cage. This meets the Act's requirement.
Cormorants by late March the vast majority have left the rivers and gone back to the coastal cliffs to breed and don't return until Sept. Some younger birds, (year 1) the ones with a full white chest do remain but make up less than 1% of the over wintering population. If a water is being heavily predated by them apply for a licence to shot them. And please don't tell me you can't get a licence because one club I know of has many for the plethora of waters it controls. The regulations have also been relaxed last years and come into force later this year. The Inland species that remain all year round can and should be dealt with under the licensing system to reduce their numbers.
Goosander again like cormorants can and should be dealt with under the licensing system.
I take it you have raised these issues with your club and pressured them to bring in a Legal Active Predator Management Plan to reduce the predation on the waters they control? If not, why not?
EEUs As yet we don't have a licensing system for reducing their predation impacts. However, we do have the law of the land on our side and recently introduced fisheries byelaws. They can only work if anglers report crimes being committed under them. You, Your club have have done this I take it? And don't tell me it doesn't work because I know it does and I've used it in several areas. For reasons I'm not going to go into, all I say is that ACPO have kicked a*** right down the line on this one. And to anyone who are not getting a serious response to it, Your Secretary should be contacting CC of the force it's happening in.
As to the general public having access to rivers during the close season; If the landowner allows public access there's not a lot you can do about it. If it's private land and you or the club own that land then it's Trespass you have the right to ask them to leave and or remove them with minimal force.
But is this as bigger problem as some are suggesting it is? With the exception of beauty spots close to towns, villages, etc. My experience of patrolling many miles of rivers, even during the close season, it's not! Take the upper Severn for instance above Shrewsbury to Welshpool I could walk all day in many sections of the river and not see anyone. Same on the Nene, Welland, Fen Drains, In the North country Lune, Ribble, Cumbrian Eden.
Clearly not a Salmon Angler then?
The close season for migratory fish is in general, Nov to Jan/Feb and the reason for that is that’s when they spawn. Which happens in the very upper reaches of the rivers/streams and becks they run. It is way out of any coarse fish zones and in depths of water less than 2 ft deep. The peak time for fish shedding is Dec and like coarse fish it’s temperature dependant. But unlike coarse fish the water has to be cold around 39-42 F.
Whilst Salmon anglers can be on the rivers during the coarse close season many don’t bother, particularly if they fish for the pot for this reason.
We’ve renewed the national spring salmon byelaws. You must return any salmon caught by rod and line before 16th June to the water immediately and with least possible injury. EA site Salmon and Sea trout Byelaws.
Whilst many of the once course river only do have some salmon back in them the point about salmon and sea trout anglers being present on many is being blown out of all proportions. How many times has anyone seen salmon and sea trout anglers on the Fen Drains, the Broads, Nene and tributaries, Themes and it’s tributaries, Trent and tributaries, Warwickshire Avon, etc, etc not many I’ll bet?
So may be when you've read this and given it some thought you may want to come back to me eh!
