Tweedian Comedian obviously.
Maybe you were unaware that Tweed is not just a fabric for elderly professors but a River in southern Scotland and the district along it. The Tweed Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to maintaining and supporting its fish.
The Foundation is regarded as being at the forefront in bringing a more professional, scientific approach to salmonid management. It is engaged in an extensive programme of biological research, monitoring and habitat enhancement with the aim of protecting Tweed’s valuable fish stocks and maximising the river’s natural productivity.
I’d thought we’d pay them a little visit today because the Tweed Foundation happens to have a whole page just dedicated to frequently asked questions regarding beavers and fish. All those beaver-wary anglers in the UK have to get their worries from somewhere don’t they? I know after reading this website for a while you have come to expect certain creative liberties with the truth. But trust me, you never expected this. Apparently the entire section is just a ‘dare’. They claim they asked the Scottish Wildlife Trust for answers about the effect on salmonids and didn’t get them, (or didn’t get answers they liked.) So they boldly answered those questions themselves.
In December 2007 the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards formally asked the Scottish Wildlife Trust, to whom the Knapdale licence for the introduction has been granted, for a number of issues to be addressed so that an informed position could be arrived at before a trial was commenced. To date no response has been received. The unanswered questions that were drawn up are given here.
In the absence of any response to the questions posed, the Foundation has researched the scientific literature. The results are presented as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
That’s 8 years without answers! And you know, no angler likes a vacuum. Why read actual research when rumor and gossip is so much more satisfying? Let’s start with this delightful question. Guess what the answer is. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Do Beavers cause problems for fish?
Yes. Beavers are interesting animals particularly because they have a great capacity to change habitat that does not suit them into habitat that does. This mainly involves changing shallow water into deeper pools by damming streams. These dams can then prevent or restrict spawning fish from getting further upstream in Autumn.
All this bogus research you’ve been hearing out of NOAA is finally revealed for the facade it was! It takes a handful of fishermen from Melrose to finally tell the truth about those wicked beavers and their fish-restricting ways. I think Michael Pollock would be especially interested in this question;
Has the subject of Beavers and fish been well researched?
No. While it has been claimed that there is a “wealth” of research on this topic, this is specifically contradicted by statements in the scientific literature. There is indeed much research on beavers themselves, however there is little on the topic of Beaver dams and their impact on migratory fish. Such research as there is shows that Beaver dams can cause significant problems for fish, particularly when autumnal rainfalls are low.
Well! I guess that will teach Michael a thing or too! All those papers he writes for all those pretend scientific journals hardly make a difference. I mean just because a man is respected and honored in print and in person, doesn’t mean anything. And, really, NOAA itself is such a fly-by-night suspicious organization, obviously the Tweedians know better.
All the questions are exactly that much fun, so you should go read them at your leisure. Better yet, let’s make it a drinking game! Invite some friends, do a shot every time they say the word ‘obstruct’. When they say the word ‘research’ take a hit. This will be a lot of fun, but we’ll all be wrecked tomorrow.
It occurs to me that even in our hung-over state, our beaver comprehension will still exceed Tweed.
