OTTER TRAPPING
Otters are carnivores, eating an average of 2.5 pounds of meat every day. Fish and crayfish are their favorite food items. Otters also prey on migrating waterfowl when they are abundant.
Channel catfish populations that must be sustained through periodic supplemental stockings are most susceptible to population declines, and are sometimes eliminated by otters. According to studies, catfish are more susceptible to otter predation and may be targeted by otter in farm ponds because these fish don't rely on cover and are easier to find. Catfish are especially susceptible during the cold winter months when they are more lethargic.
In Tennessee, fish hatcheries with raceways and rearing pools have become a favorite target of otter. There have even been reports of otters actually approaching trout fishermen along streambanks and stealing their fish while staked out on a stringer.
Otters often use the walkways of commercial and private boat docks as toilets, thus leaving unsightly messes. Problems have also arisen when otters have partially eaten a large fish while resting on the floatation blocks that are located underneath walkways at commercial boat docks. The uneaten portion of the fish is left by the otter beneath the walkway, and within a day or so, the decaying fish produces an unbearable stench.
Controlling otter populations may enhance fishery populations, especially in farm ponds and commercial catfish impoundments. Trapping is the most effective method of controlling otter populations.
