Scott Loudon | Thursday, 9 June 2016
The Internet has opened up information like nothing before yet people still don't seem to be learning the lesson in regards to oversharing. If I write here go and fish spot X on the River Y that just so happens where you'll find an unusually high population of large wild trout in England the fishing would be ruined in a heartbeat!
I've worked hard for a number of spots I know as have I been very fortunate to have friends sharing their hard earned information with me. It's a trust and friendship thing, you share a little and a little gets shared in return it keeps the world ticking over but release that same information on the Internet and it's game over if you're taking about places that can't sustain heavy pressure.
i'm writing about this as I couldn't believe my eyes the other week when I read a full scale breakdown of where to target an unusual species in an unknown area. I'd bet the people that discovered the fishery will be gutted as next season will see hundreds there and all in the name of either self promotion for ego or perhaps business. The latter I can sympathise with a bit as it's somebody's livelihood but there's also a duty to protect the gems and not necessarily exploit them. It's happened time and time again in Scotland too but rather than the Internet, it tends to be magazines. A couple of articles by the 'big names' and that's it, your peaceful spot for the past three years is done for. You know who you are authors!!
It's not difficult to keep place names out of a report and you lose absolutely none of the magic as the write up should make the reader feel the experience not the 6 digit grid reference! Look at Ronan's reports as a stellar example, he mentions Dunstnot as a big lake with a large population but no where else. Does it detract from his story? Absolutely not.
That's pretty much my rant over - perhaps everyone should just spare a one second thought before posting on the Internet to think of the potential implications of the information they are about to share. Let's all help protect mystery spot X.