Otters

[Shadowfax]

Originally Posted by harasseddad

you sure they weren't mink?

Fairly sure yes but it was my first thought too. I came to the conclusion that mink wouldnt be big enough to carry a 15lb struggling fish out of the water.

Any views?

[captaincarot]

Originally Posted by Shadowfax

Fairly sure yes but it was my first thought too. I came to the conclusion that mink wouldnt be big enough to carry a 15lb struggling fish out of the water.

Any views?

you came to the wrong conclusion then.

firstly mink don't tend to be solitary.

secondly a fish that weighs 15lb out of water doesn't wieh 15lb in water. the mink nly has to drag it to the bank once it's killed it. eat a small ammount, typical mink behaivour, then abandon it.

after this point virtually anything will have a chew if they find it.

given the opportunity, otters will eat eels by preference to any other type of fish, this is where the problem with otter reintroduction arrises, it happens to have coincided with a massive fall in eel stock levels.

the decline in the eel poulation actually begining before the otter introductions.

what should have happened is find out what's happening to the eels and stabilise their population then reintroduce the otters.

combined with eradication of the mink.