Have You Paid...?!

Fishery managers' thoughts on the ever-widening definition of 'poacher'...

ONE unexpected outcome of our recent poaching feature [TF493] was that it's not just a human issue any more. More than one fishery manager told us that he could handle the human thieves, such as they are: it's the fur and feathered variety that now cause most of the grief. We pressed several managers about the current state of play with fish predation, while one angler told us of an indirect threat to fisheries that's brewing in Scotland...

Ifor Jones (Draycote, Thornton)

Poaching doesn't seem to be the problem it was in the Midlands, say 15 years ago, when it was 'the done thing', handed down from one generation to the next. Communities are different now, though, and I don't think poaching is seen as having much value.

Cormorants are our main problem: otters aren't the problem they are on small waters. I hope Brexit might help, by taking the issue of cormorant control out of EU hands, so that the debate is again between us and MPs whom we vote for.

Ed Upton (Ellerdine)