Otter news.

[JohnLucas1316]

No I haven't. I agree that would be very useful.

[JohnLucas1316]

Got a reply from the founder of the State of Nature report explaining that fish numbers are not included because surveys are patchy and regional and there is no comprehensive national data.

[Jason Skilton]

Got a reply from the founder of the State of Nature report explaining that fish numbers are not included because surveys are patchy and regional and there is no comprehensive national data.

What a load of tosh! I think the author needs to speak with the EA Fisheries teams

[JohnLucas1316]

I don't know. I couldn't find what I wanted on the government site.
A paranoid person may think that the author of the State of Nature Report does not want the general public to know how low freshwater fish stocks are in the UK, because it might lead to calls for action against predators.
Slightly unrelated i know, but there are many examples of the BBC actively misleading the general public on the subject of fish stocks and predation.

[Jason Skilton]

I don't know. I couldn't find what I wanted on the government site.
A paranoid person may think that the author of the State of Nature Report does not want the general public to know how low freshwater fish stocks are in the UK, because it might lead to calls for action against predators.
Slightly unrelated i know, but there are many examples of the BBC actively misleading the general public on the subject of fish stocks and predation.

Or there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate your conclusion......just because anglers don't catch using rod and line, doesn't mean the fish arnt there

[JohnLucas1316]

Using the government website as best I could, it showed over 900 roach present in 1992 at the section of river I was looking at. That number had fallen to 30 roach in 2004. All I know is that I used to be able to catch 5 or 6 pike a session, and now I can't catch one.
The fish are not there.

[Jason Skilton]

Using the government website as best I could, it showed over 900 roach present in 1992 at the section of river I was looking at. That number had fallen to 30 roach in 2004. All I know is that I used to be able to catch 5 or 6 pike a session, and now I can't catch one.
The fish are not there.

Hardly conclusive

Have you checked with you Angling Trust regional forum for fish survey data? Some host it on their website on behalf of the EA.

[JohnLucas1316]

Conclusive enough for me.

[JohnLucas1316]

I think I got the wrong idea about the salmon study. I think they are tagging adult fish on their return from the sea to see which rivers they go up.
Autumnwatch last night told us again that Atlantic salmon are in trouble, but did not tell us why. The tagged salmon that was named after Chris Packham is dead.
I am confused, but they said there would be an update in Winterwatch ......

[JohnLucas1316]

Well that is the end of another Winterwatrch, and unless I missed it, there was no mention of the fate of the tagged salmon released last year.
Is this yet another BBC cover-up? Were the salmon eaten by cormorants, mergansers or otters? Did Winterwatch simply forget to tell everyone, or did they 'forget' on purpose?
We will probably never know.
Should I get a different hobby? Probably yes.