Talk given at IOSF Fisheries Conference in Edinburgh
Reassuring implications from a 45 year study of otters in Somerset. James Williams, Chairman, Somerset Otter Group, President, Taunton Flyfishers. There has been an ongoing study of the otter …
RECORDS
The Somerset Otter Group has been conducting serious surveys on the Otters in Somerset for decades, the annual 2 day event, introduced by James Williams in 1995 gives a unique overview of the otter population.
The group has access through Dr Rob Williams to the huge archive of work and studies conducted by James Williams, who began recording otters in the county in 1968.
The group continues to build on the records started by James which includes all dead otters whether collected for autopsy or not, together with Breeding records.
Reporting dead otters is very important, for information on who to contact see our ‘Contact Us’ page.
It is also important that any evidence of a bitch seen with cubs is reported to the group (see our ‘Contact Us’ page) to enable recording this important part of the population jigsaw. When the otters declined to near extinction in the Country it was not noticed that they had stopped breeding until it was too late.
PUBLICATIONS
These range from two hardback books by James Williams to pamphlets, handbooks, leaflets, newslotters and summaries of reports and surveys.