Sand Eels

[wymberley]

Mate has just been into the local fishing tackle shop and has come back with the news that these are in short supply - or if available at all very small. Certainly the shop can't get any. Seems there's some concern about the wellbeing of the puffins.

Anyone have any idea what's going on?

[billytheghillie]

Yes, its us to blame. They are being hoovered up at sea and processed into cat food, fertilizer, etc. The same is happening with the salmon, the North East drift nets declared 18,000 salmon this year compared to just over 6,000 rod caught salmon on the river Tweed. Not all these fish were destined for the Tweed, some were heading to the Tyne, Coquet and other East coast rivers. As for the puffins, they will likely move on, but it is a sad situation.

[hawkfanz]

on another note i,m sure thats why cormorants have moved inland due to overfishing in coastal waters,i was a sea angler for many years my last boat a sea hog hunter,i sold when my wife died,havent been out to sea for 12 years now so im sure the catches have gone down to rod an line anglers.

[wymberley]

Thanks, Guys. Why am i not surprised, Billy?

[andrewluke]

there should be less sandeels used for bait next year if this happens;

This week’s announcement by the European Commission that it is proposing to EU ministers that sea anglers should no longer be allowed to retain a single bass caught in 2018 (and face a complete ban on catch & release bass angling for six months of the year) has sparked fury amongst angling groups and charter boat skippers, particularly because the Commission is proposing permitting some forms of commercial fishing.

[wymberley]

4 minutes ago, andrewluke said:

there should be less sandeels used for bait next year if this happens;

This week’s announcement by the European Commission that it is proposing to EU ministers that sea anglers should no longer be allowed to retain a single bass caught in 2018 (and face a complete ban on catch & release bass angling for six months of the year) has sparked fury amongst angling groups and charter boat skippers, particularly because the Commission is proposing permitting some forms of commercial fishing.

See the question in my last post above.

[henry d]

Not what I am seeing from my kayak or even from the piers.

for the past 3 years I have been seeing huge shoals of bait fish, sandeel and sprats,on my fishfinder and sometimes I have had to change tactics due to foul hooking them. I caught the first launce in May last year off the Fife coast and in the same area had seen more Puffin than I have ever seen before, along with the ever present Guillemots. I was even catching them deliberately in October from South Shields pier.

There are other things that are keeping me hopeful and that is the large numbers, year on year, of immature Pollack and Coalfish, which are making a nuisance of themselves when fishing for their mum or dad. We have also had good numbers of small codling too. If there were no sandeel then we wouldn`t be seeing many small pollack/coalfish or cod