The brown rat is nocturnal and is a good swimmer, and so rats are never that far away when you are by the riverside. Rattus Norvegicus can often be seen in the Margaret Brown Gardens at the end of the day, and does not appear that concerned when people are about.
The one in this short video does take fright at the sound of a motor bike. Like pigeons they are a very successful urban species.
This is a really serious problem here caused almost entirely by two people, the first is the man who throws a whole loaf of bread onto the pavement to feed the pigeons and the second is the guy who drives a small blue tractor around the town, he stops by there most days and throws half a bucket of bird seed all along the pavement there, the situation is also agrivgated by the litter bins there which are mostly used to deposit the remnants of takeaway-always by revellers on their way home !
I have seen toddlers sitting on the grass where the rats have been. Alastair’s important post should be brought to the attention of someone in the local council. Anyone with connections?
Notices discouraging people from feeding vermin and informing of the dangers and symptoms of Weil’s disease would be helpful. Not a programme of poison please with all its associated dangers to other wildlife and people. Is there anyone from our glorious town council listening out there?
Reductio I have every faith in the T C to respond to this infestation just as they did to the ever growing number of our “foreign guests” who fish the river for food ! The T C placed warning signs in a variety of languages all along the river bank but it didn’t stop them, everyday at least a dozen or so can be seen openly fishing and removing their catch to take home, they fish in the closed season, they use boats to trawl from, all of which is illegal, I was on the wharf on Sunday morning when an African asked me what the fish were like to eat? He went on to say he’d not long arrived from Africa and spent 4 days in a rubber boat while crossing the Med! I told him it was ileagal to remove the fish and in any case the river is not clean, guess what? he’s now fishing here too !
Reductio, you are correct about Wells disease too, I keep a boat not 200 meters from the garden and contracted the potentially fatal disease last year, dreadful experience, one I wouldn’t wish on anyone
When there was a rat problem on St Helens Wharf 15 years ago with them crossing the road and feeding off the rubbish from the pub in plain sight of people sat drinking in the yard/garden in the late evening, I mentioned it to Environmental Health only to be told that there was very little that could be done as there was a risk to local wildlife (water voles, etc), as above if possible the best approach is to take away their food source and they’ll move off elsewhere hopefully to an environment where they can be poisoned or trapped and dealt with.
All – can I suggest that those who have specific evidence of actual misdemeanours, as described above, report them direct to the relevant authority (some will be Environmental Health, some police, some maybe PCSOs) etc rather than relying on them to read this blog?
As “belt and braces” you could also take them up with the Town Councillors for the area (some of whom are, I believe, in fairly senior positions there).
Done that Hester, several times, I know the TC has written to TVP re ileagal fishing from boats, some of the culprits tow their boat to the marina, launch it on the public slip, trawl for an hour then dissapear before the authorities arrive, a month ago I wrang the EA’s incident hotline reporting 2 guys in a boat trawling opposite the Anchor, their response was, we can’t do anything because we don’t have a boat in the area! Pathetic, shortly after the local incident officer wrang saying similar, even though by then they were moored along the bank he still refused to visit!
There’s only so much the TC can do in isolation.
Captain, I know the authorities take mobile phone video evidence seriously for other matters, maybe use that whizzy iPhone of yours to provide evidence? I assume you’ve seen them launching their boat having towed it? Presumably with a car with a registration number? Often people with a disregard for the law in one aspect have an equivalent disregard in others so maybe your evidence they will provide part of a bigger picture.
Done that too Reductio, even sent the EA superb j pegs of the Devils in action along with clear shots of the boat name too! Sadly it appears the case that if you break the rules and have no money you can get away with murder?
All of that said what do readers think of the present political situation? I think May is just what we need ?
Will she sort out the illegal fishermen or the rats?
Back to the earlier topics, as someone not fortunate enough to live on the Abingdon riviera, I am increasingly intrigued by the fishing allegations. I had assumed from previous airings of this topic that we were talking about a few people, possibly with not much money for food, catching the odd fish from our river for their own consumption. Now it seems that it is on a much larger scale (no pun intended) and involves organised teams with boats and cars and trawling nets. I had no idea there were enough fish in our part of the Thames to make it worthwhile doing that? I rarely see any of the legitimate fisherfolk actuallly catching anything!
Also, assuming that it is illegal and they know that, why do they do it in full view of local residents who might take action? Wwouldn’t it be easier to take the boat downstream from the slipway, or on to one of the other secluded stretches of the river, where they could do it pretty much unobserved?
All very fishy..
If they’re using anything other than a rod and line in a river then it’s definitely illegal. Here’s a news story about the EA taking net fishing on the Thames very seriously indeed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34658429
Not sure why they’re not following up the Captains extensive dossier.
Hi Hester, unfortunately the rogue fishing is not confined to Abingdon, we went downstream to Streatly last weekend and probably every half a mile or so were Eastern Europeans, mostly young couples, fishing, they’re easy to spot, they have no keep bets or other paraphinaila, just a rod, a kanding net and a back pack to put the catch in, most mornings at first light there will be at least 3 or 4 fishing here,
On another note you say about fish supply/stock? Well there is a professional cray fisherman here, last year between Abingdon lock and Sutton Courteney he caught 5 ton of crayfish ! He exports them daily to Norway where they’re processed and flown back to the uk,
Why don’t you and Iain join me one day on a trip upstream to Oxford, I promise you will not believe what’s happening on our river !
Can I come too?? Captain. :0)
Three men in a boat – so what does that make me – don’t answer that!
I confess I’m no fisherman and that personally I would ban river fishing along with all other blood sports but what are these people doing wrong, legally ( the ones fishing, not the ones using nets). Are you not permitted to keep any of what you catch?
The Environment Agency have byelaws. There is a daily quota as long as you have a rod licence, and you can only use a rod and line. Otherwise it is an offence under the Theft Act 1968 “and you risk a substantial fine”. The EA booklet encourages people to let them know if you think someone is committing an offence.
Thanks for the invitation Steve – I prefer my river trips with oars rather than motors, but maybe you should invite some of the councillors who actually have some power/responsibility in this area.
It is a question of policing. We had a cannabis factory two doors down for 15 years. It was quite obvious as there was black plastic at the windows. However it was not until the electricity board investigated that they were eventually raided. Heroin dealers regularly came to Abingdon to sell it but it was not until someone got shot that they were caught Some do not care about regulations. The EU banned line fishing for bass but the French refuse to comply and are not penalised for it.. As for Theresa May. The British politicians are looked upon as appeasers and apologists. No match for the French and Germans.
Capt K – is the “professional” crayfish man legal? If not, has he been reported? If he is not a “fly-by-night” (again, no pun intended) the police/EA have no excuse not to follow it up.
Thanks Another Steve, so by what you say it is entirely possible, as long as they have a rod licence, that the fishing couples the Captain sees on his boat trips (I wonder if you can double up on your quota if 2 of you are present?) are not committing any offence simply by being Eastern European and catching fish to eat? I understand that culturally it is not the norm for people fishing rivers in the UK to keep and eat their catch but surely if it’s not illegal then that might explain why nothing is done? Here’s a list of people prosecuted in the UK, in May this year, for fishing offences http://www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?section=1012 so it’s clearly not totally ignored when people actually break the law.
Hi Hester, yes the crayfish man is licenced by the EA, in fact they positively encourage him because of the damage the crayfish cause to fish stocks, moreover its ileagal to put them back if you caught one, they have to be killed and not disposed back into the river, they carry a unique fungal disease. Important also to realise I’m talking about North Anerican Signal crayfish, not our native brown species that have almost disappeared by their bigger, signal counter parts,
Reductio as I understand it because our charter includes Abingdons own rules on fishing the EA doesn’t police fishing off the banks in the TC area of river? and that stretches from opposite the marina entrance, through town, past the lock, the ferry boat field, the three corner field and all the way to black bridge.
Also, as I understand it the only fish allowed to be taken are salmon and trout? but they need a special licence,
Thanks Captain.
American crayfish occasionally appear on the menu of a restaurant in Sutton Courtenay. Like the grey squirrels, these crayfish are not an indigenous species. Unfortunately, they are prolific and we can’t turn the clock back.
At least they aren’t poisonous. In Australia the introduction of cane toads has been really dreadful since they have no natural predator and they poison everything they contact.
Indeed, thanks Captain.
It seems exceptionally complicated, even for someone for whom English is their first language. Just one example. The various bye laws I have read refer to the ‘taking’ of fish. Does that mean ‘ taking from the river with the intention of putting back’ or ‘taking away from the river with the intention of cooking and eating’?
I recall many years ago talking to a gentleman along the Thames path whose job it was to check permits and explain the law along that stretch. Even back then, maybe 10 or more years ago, he told me that once he retired at the end of the year he would not be replaced. Conversely, on holiday in France recently I spoke to a gentleman whose job it was to check water quality, fishing permits, catch quotas and generally be seen around the place at a municipal lake. He was a young(ish) man with a number of relevant qualifications and a nice visible sign written van which meant he could look after 2 or 3 lakes and a stretch of river. His job was funded by fishing permits and licenses which presumably cost more than the tuppence three farthings our anglers pay?
It’s just about 6.00pm and there are four foreign gentlemen fishing off the bank and putting their catch in their back packs ! I’ve actually taken a photo of one and sent it to backstreeter, but I suppose it will be considered not PC to put it on here?
Also this afternoon were two boats trawling the river here one of which was the owner of a foreign food restaurant in town ! I kid you not !!!
Further to my post (24), the restaurant to which I referred does not trawl for fish. Its crayfish are caught by local boys and sold to the kitchen. It is called enterprise!
Sat in the garden @ The Nag’s Head presently, an Environment Agency launch ‘Whitewater’ has just gone past heading for the lock. What do the guys onboard do ? Can they challenge fishermen or are they just looking for unlicensed water craft.
Neither Badger ! But the sun is shinning !
lol!
Was hoping for something more constructive but you made me laugh!
Nice day for a paid cruise on the river.
Ha ha Badger, according to the TC fishing licence no fish are to be taken, full stop ! And because this stretch of the river is uniquely Abingdons, the EA aren’t interested.
As for unlicensed boats, between Preston Road and the Nags are at least 7 unlicensed boats, the EA know this, but do nothing about it
So far today I’ve counted 9 people ileagaly fishing !
Interesting, it does beg the question… what do the EA actually do around here.
Steve, I will no use the fishing photo. Not PC. But will use the other photo shortly. Thanks as always for your pictures by the riverbank.