Seal Still At Oulton Broad

[Tobster]

Yesterday my parents spotted the seal next to there jetty feeding on a small fish.

I wonder how much longer the seal will stay in the area, I think it’s been there since January, after speaking to a keen fisherman today, he reported that he sees very little on his fish finder now.

maybe the seal will leave when there are no fish left!!!!

 

[Smoggy]

Won't be long then, the maggot drowners get released into the wild tomorrow. 

[JanetAnne]

Nope, not seen him...

 

 

[Smoggy]

If you see him again try and strap a plastic shark fin to him, watching the paddle boarders flee will be funny as hell! 

[Tobster]

I wonder what impact this will have on the local eco system ? Or if a good clean out will help?

I guess we will find out from the local fishermen over the next couple of weeks.

[marshman]

Its not unusual at all for seals to find their way into the system - they always have and always will. The one in Horning stayed for almost a year I think. They were also seen a lot at Reedham for a long time - one used to bask on the large bits of wood at the bridge.

I don't think one seal would clear out the fish in the Lower Waveney - shouldn't worry about the local fishermen as they can move elsewhere whilst he is in residence if it bothers them!

[FlyingFortress]

25 minutes ago, marshman said:

Its not unusual at all for seals to find their way into the system - they always have and always will. The one in Horning stayed for almost a year I think. They were also seen a lot at Reedham for a long time - one used to bask on the large bits of wood at the bridge.

I don't think one seal would clear out the fish in the Lower Waveney - shouldn't worry about the local fishermen as they can move elsewhere whilst he is in residence if it bothers them!

Don't be silly MM 

Get a fisherman to move.

You're having a Giraffe 

[TheQ]

hMM so It's the start of the fishing season today..

 Sunday is a down river race to Thurne .. All those 40ft+ poles hanging out over the river along St Benets and beyond, I wonder how many fishermen I can catch with my keel..

[ChrisB]

Not sure about now but 15/20 years ago seals were  features of the RGO between Hermitage and Brownhills. Entering via the New Bedford or Delph they were miles from their home around The Wash.

[Smoggy]

There was a family of seals living at westview marina at Earith for years, some were shot (probably by a jealous fisherman) one year but I think they are still resident, often seen basking in the sun on the bank just upstream of the marina.

It's not surprising as it's a straight run to sea from there along the New Bedford river down to Kings Lynn.

[Malanka]

One seal will do bog all to the ecosystem of such a large body of water, oh I forgot the false system set up by and for fishermen/women. The fisher people are the disturbance to the ecosystem to be perfectly accurate not seals which umm err are natural fish predators. 
 

Anyone who has ever seen even a small boating lake drained will know the weight of fish available to expert predators far exceeds that available that anyone else could catch. 
 

When discussing ecosystems a robust approach is usually the best. Population dynamics is not easy to grasp, and contrary to current politically driven drivel in the press most ecosystems are not frail in the slightest. They evolve, they respond they continue that’s how they work…

Nor in the UK are they natural in the US sense of the word, and haven’t been for thousands of years. 

 

Rant over 

[SteveO]

That gets my seal of approval. 

[Andrewcook]

Are Seals a protective specific creatures from such unthinkable things to could happen to them ?

[ChrisB]

Seals were first protected just before WW1, there were further conservation measures in the 1970 Seals Act.

However under the fisheries Act nuisance Seals damaging nets and fish farms may be destroyed under strict licence rules.

That as in most Wildlife Scotland has different rules. Marine Mammals can not be shot at fish farms since 2020. In some measure this was due to the USA banning the import of product protect by the destruction of Marine Mammals.

[Smoggy]

The ones at Earith were not shot in any legal way as far as I know and angered a lot of locals and boaters as it should.

[addicted]

We often shared Earith and Brownshill locks with a seal in the 90s.

 

Carole

 

[mikeyboy1966]

In my few short cruises on the Ouse,I’ve not spotted any seals yet,

I spoke to the lock keeper at hermitage on Saturday and he seemed to think they had moved up as far as st Ives,I’ll keep an eye out.