Many pond owners in the Fichtelgebirge complain about damage caused by otters. This was the result of a survey of the industry, said the Wunsiedel district office. The otter is again widespread in the region. About three quarters of all pond owners in the district had reported high damage, said Wolfgang Kreil, deputy district administrator. They complained about damage to the stocks in the ponds, but also to the fish stocks in running waters. A large proportion of the pond owners surveyed have already reduced or even given up the management of their ponds, Kreil said. “This development corresponds to the picture that is also being described to us from the other districts. From my point of view, a development that must be countered immediately.” The district sees a need for action. “Fishing is a valuable part of our culture and our homeland,” said District Administrator Peter Berek (CSU). “Species protection is important and right, but must not lead to the destruction of fishing and pond farming in the region.”
The otter is a protected species. According to the Bund Naturschutz, it is considered to be extinct in large parts of Germany. It was heavily hunted in the 19th century, but was able to survive in the Bavarian Forest. In the meantime, other animals from the Czech Republic or Thuringia have also settled in north-eastern Bavaria in recent years. What pleases the conservationists causes concern for many pond keepers. In the Upper Palatinate, the Bavarian Administrative Court is now involved in a legal dispute. He allowed an appeal against a ruling by the administrative court in Regensburg that prohibited pond operators from killing otters.
Free State tries to balance interests
In March 2020, the government of the Upper Palatinate issued special permits for the “removal of a maximum of two male otters each” in order to contain the damage to the fishing industry caused by otters in three pond systems that were particularly affected. After a lawsuit by the Federal Nature Conservation Agency, the Regensburg Administrative Court conceded the exemption because female otters and young animals could also fall into the traps. In addition, killed male otters could be replaced by non-native otters in a short time. In coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Environment and the government of the Upper Palatinate, the Bavarian State Attorney’s Office successfully applied for an appeal to the VGH, so that the proceedings are now going to the next instance.
The Free State wants to balance the various interests with a management plan. At the Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL), for example, there are otter advisors who inform pond owners about protection options such as fences and assess damage caused by otters. Within a few years, the otter had colonized the carp regions of the Upper Palatinate and Upper Franconia, according to the LfL at the beginning of the year.