It is possibly one of the indicators of a river's health is the thriving of an apex predator like the otter.
In the 2020's the otter is now a common site in the River Welland in Spalding and throughout the river's course through the Fens. However, this is a relatively recent development over the last 20 years and in 2024 I fear this may be reversed by,in my opinion, poor management of the River Welland resulting in a bank breach onto Cowbit Wash and current low river levels pending restoration.
In the 19th Century the presence of otters in the Fens of South Lincolnshire was a rarity of note:
"Holbeach - A very fine otter, weighing 28lbs has been shot in the Fen by Mr Andrews. They are very seldom found in this district, and the capture excited great interest. The animal is supposed to have wandered from it's usual haunts and to have come up the South Holland (drain). Mr. J.F. Cook has taken the otter to Bourne to be stuffed." May 1891.
My grandfather told me there used to be otters in the Forty Foot Drain near Spinney Farm, Bourne this would be in the 1940's. The following account from a Spalding Wildfowlers newsletter of November 1964 was of a dead otter found near the River Glen, Pinchbeck:
"Whilst cycling home from work one of our members witnessed the fatality of an otter, run over by a passing car. He took it to the police, who after wondering whether it was edible, thought better of it and returned it. Our friend, also dismissing any gastronomic qualities, decided to skin it and have the pelt cured and eventually made into a pair of gloves for his beloved. In turn this has diverted her attention from the feather bed for which her duck shooting husband has been painstakingly collecting down over the past 10 years."
Today, in the River Welland, Spalding, alongside the steel piling of the river bank are plastic floats. These are placed as resting spots for young otters. Whilst I've never seen them used by otters I have seen otters swimming near them. Hopefully, what was once a rarity, will continue to thrive in the waterways of South Lincolnshire.
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