As you all know, Silver End has been closed this past week whilst contractors from Embryo Angling Habitats have installed an anti predation Otter fence around the front pit. The main part of this work has now been completed and contractors have now left the site.
We have previously mentioned that the club do not currently appear to have a problem with Otters at Silver End, nor at our other waters, but due to the protected status of Otters and the conservation efforts to improve their numbers it is highly likely that otter predation is inevitable for all fishing clubs in the future.
The fence is a long term investment for the Club and although we have aspirations to improve anti predation measures at our other waters, it was sensible to invest on members behalf on a site where we own the freehold.
WE NEED YOUR HELP – We are sure you will all recognise that any Otter Fence is only effective if the gates are kept shut, please be mindful of the need to shut gates once you have passed through them, if you need to make a number of journeys back and forth please close the gate each time you pass through it. If you notice any damage on the fence line please get in touch with us to report any issues.
It only takes a few moments for an apex predator such as an Otter to pass through an open gate, once inside it would have a devastating impact on the fish stock. It is also important to remember that Otters are a protected species under UK law and in the event an Otter was able to enter the pit it would not be easy to remove any such predator quickly and legally.
The fence itself has a small number of access points, these are a pedestrian gate in the Front Car Park, and a pedestrian gate at the top of the steps leading to the Oak Swim. There is one further pedestrian gate located in the Back Car Park, but this will remain locked until the club have had time to reinstate the steps down to the swims. There are two large vehicle gates, both of which will remain locked as they are only intended for use during work parties and for general maintenance.
Each of the pedestrian gates is fitted on the inside of the gate post with a “pull wire” which will operate the gate latch (which is on the outside) so that you are able to easily exit the gate, these pull wires don’t need much of a pull as the latch only moves a few centimetres and they should drop and re-latch once you let go.
As a club we all owe a debt of thanks to those work party “member volunteers” who have worked tirelessly week in, week out, at Silver End to make sure we were ready for the installation. So on behalf of KDAA a big thank you to, Danny, Ian, Steve, Duncan, Ray, Keith & G as well as KDAA Committee members who have helped get us to this point. If you are interested in getting involved in future work parties please get in touch, they are a great chance to meet other members and improve the angling experience for all of our members.
There is still some tidying up and a few other odd jobs to complete so you can expect to see more work on site over the coming weeks. There will be a further site visit from Embryo Angling Habitats to inspect the installation before there is any final sign off, which we expect to happen in the next couple of weeks.
We have erected some temporary fencing in the Front Car Park which isolates our car park from the track to the horse fields, please keep in mind this is very temporary in its nature and we will make this a more permanent feature over the coming weeks.
We have also installed a small gate latch on a new fence post to hook back the front gate while you drive through, this should prevent the gate swinging in the wind.
Enjoy your Fishing & Tight lines!
Mark Wilson and the KDAA Committee
