"Perch follow eels on hunt" - Jack Perks
Underwater cameraman and angler Jack Perks has witnessed Britain’s many fish species doing some amazing things. We asked him to shed light on some of these hidden behaviours…
Perch follow eels on hunt
“When I’ve observed good-sized eels going along the lake or riverbed, digging in rocks looking for crayfish or bullheads, they’ll often be flanked by larger perch of about 1lb or 1lb 8oz.
Eels unwittingly help big perch to find food
“As soon as the eel goes under a rock, it sends smaller fish up in the water for the perch to feed on.
“This is really interesting because it’s learned behaviour. We tend to think of fish as being stupid, but this is a form of anticipation on their part that shows intelligence.
“I’m not saying I’m the first to discover this, but I’ve not seen or read about it anywhere else.
“I first saw it on the River Test and then again two days later on the Hampshire Avon. I’d imagine that it happens wherever there’s a good eel population.”
Perch know eels will uncover food for them
Help fund new fish film
Jack is currently crowdfunding to produce a free film called Britain’s Hidden Fishes, narrated by Jeremy Wade. To help get this project off the ground, visit Britain’s Hidden Fishes.
Birdwatchers and otter lovers spring to defence of Kent’s anglers in gravel pits drama
BIRDWATCHERS and otter lovers have sprung to angling’s defence in a bid to save fishing at four historic gravel pits.
Bradbourne Lakes has been fished since 1948, but Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) has told Bromley & District Angling Society (BDAS) to move on from next month, as it plans to redevelop the site.
Bradbourne Lakes has been fished since 1948
The lakes, on the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, hold 40lb-plus carp, specimen tench, bream and pike, but BDAS has been told that angling will end on March 15, even though it has an agreement until 2024.
This has prompted the Angling Trust’s Fish Legal team to intervene. It says the planned termination of BDAS’s licence is “not effective” and that the club “would welcome a constructive discussion” on the site’s future.
BDAS secretary Dennis Puttock said:
“Our members are appalled by the treatment they have received from KWT. Its misguided anti-angling agenda is a slap in the face to our volunteers and to all the local families who value this peaceful oasis.”
Support for the club’s plight gathered momentum last week, with backing even coming from several communities deemed to be at loggerheads with angling.
Dave Webb, of the UK Wild Otter Trust, said his organisation was
“dismayed to hear fishing at this historic club lake was to be ended”,
adding:
“We totally rebut the idea that angling, otters, beavers and other wildlife are unable to co-exist.”
James Wallace, of the Beaver Trust, said:
“Angling, beavers and nature restoration are compatible. We hope that the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve will find a compromise where different activities, including angling, can be accommodated.”
Chris Couch, from Sevenoaks Birdwatchers Action Group, added:
“Do the new heads of KWT not know that fishermen, birdwatchers and wildlife go hand-in-hand?”
KWT spokesperson Fiona White told Angling Times:
“Ahead of the public consultation, we felt it was right to communicate our intentions to BDAS first as a key stakeholder. We had hoped BDAS would contact us directly after our initial conversation, in which we offered further support and discussion if desired, but we are yet to hear from them.”
The Duke of Edinburgh was a former visitor to the site now proposed to be off limits to anglers