Otter News Archive

LESS than a decade ago, one’s best chance of seeing a wild otter in Britain was to dig out classic films such as Tarka the Otter and Ring of Bright Water.

Pollution and diminishing fish stocks had caused such a rapid decline in the numbers of this distinctive semi-aquatic mammal that by the 1980s they could only be found surviving in a few pockets in south-west England and in parts of Wales and Scotland.

However, in East Lothian – one of the otter’s last bastions during years of environmental degradation across the UK – things are now looking decidedly better.

East Lothian Angling Association (ELAA), which manages fishing rights on the county’s main watercourse, the River Tyne, has produced evidence that the elusive creatures are making a comeback.

Wednesday night’s ELAA agm in the Town House in Haddington was due to hear that anglers recorded a total of 35 otter sightings on the Tyne between Samuelston and Tyninghame Road Bridge during 2007.

Cleaner water and abundant fish stocks – the ELAA has released 2,400 brown trout into the river over the last two years – have played a significant part.

David Elder, ELAA secretary, said the return of the otter was a double-edged sword for anglers. “It is nice to have them back, as they do a good job of killing mink – hundreds once escaped from a former mink farm at East Saltoun. For a while now mink have been a curse on the Tyne.

“But the otters will help keep them in check. Our only concern is that their own numbers eventually become too big. Still, it’s been a remarkable turnaround.”

The local sightings are backed up by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which has conducted research into otters at more than 1,000 locations nationwide.

Exact figures for the number of otters in Scotland are unknown, but those sites surveyed in the Forth and Borders area (including East Lothian) recorded the largest increases in sightings in the country.

Between 1978 and 1979, sightings were up 17 per cent; yet between 2003 and 2004, sightings rose by 87 per cent.

Otters need peace and quiet if they are to thrive, and their habitat must include clean rivers, reedbeds and river banks lined with trees.

To encourage breeding, The River Tyne Trust, a group of amateur conservationists, has recently constructed two otter holts.

The holts, whose locations are being kept secret, are small rectangular chambers made from breeze blocks and paving slabs sunk low into the riverbank. Access is through old plastic drainage pipes. Both lairs have been camouflaged with fresh vegetation.

Trust chairperson, Rosemary Wilkes, said: “We decided to do something to encourage them because there are not a lot of ideal habitats for them along the river. I don’t know how much the holts have actually been used, as we don’t have any monitoring equipment there, but members have reported seeing otters in the vicinity since they were built.

“There have been increasing signs of otter activity in the area and it’s no coincidence that the water is much cleaner.”

The group was assisted by East Lothian Council’s countryside and landscape department in siting and laying the holts.

Countryside officer, Duncan Priddle, said: “Ensuring they are undisturbed is critical to the breeding process and it is welcome news that more otters appear to be taking up residence in the county.

“It should be noted that some of the sightings reported by the anglers could be repeat sightings of the same animal. Otters are difficult to tell apart and they can range a long way. But we believe that most of the county’s watercourses could now have an otter presence.

“Personally, I was thrilled to see three otters under the Waterloo Bridge in Haddington in October.”

At the heart of the otter renaissance is investment by Scottish Water in improved sewage treatment, and initiatives by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to reduce pollution.

SEPA spokesman, David Campbell, said: “An increase in The Tyne’s otter population is representative of a national recovery of otters, returning to previously polluted watercourses across Scotland.

“It’s immensely rewarding to see living, breathing examples of the benefits of good environmental protection.”

With river pollution receding, the otter’s main threat is East Lothian’s expanding human population.

Otters run the risk of being killed crossing roads built for new housing in lowland areas they have re-colonised.

It is not just the humble otter that is making a comeback on the Tyne. The ELAA also reports that another endangered species, the eel, is alive and flourishing in the river.

Last autumn, the Association commissioned Dr Willie Yeoman, of Strathclyde University, to carry out an electrofishing survey of the river at Preston Mill, Sandy’s Mill, Ormiston and the Birns Water.

Electrofishing involves dipping a metal rod, similar to a cattle prod, into the water, through which an electromagnetic impulse is passed to make fish rise to the surface.

During the survey, Dr Yeoman and his team detected high numbers of trout in the upper stretches.

They found juvenile salmon at both Preston Mill and Sandy’s Mill, while high numbers of eels were found at the lower end of the river at Preston Mill.

Another significant discovery was that of a lamprey, a small eel-like freshwater fish rarely seen in East Lothian.

The improving wildlife situation is not without its pitfalls. More fish in the river means more unwanted visits from voracious seabirds.

Cormorants in particular are flocking to places like Cascades Weir on Haddington golf course to gourge on a ready-made banquet.

For now, though, it is the otter which reigns supreme on the riverbank. Mij and Tarka themselves would surely approve.

Otter Joy is wholly owned by L.C. Wright and has no affiliation with any organisaiton or body