porpoises and seals

[brash1]

I have noticed the last fortnight a lot of harbour porpoises and seals around the piers at seaham, roker and shields they have been there for quite some time now. Obviously something must be attracting them and keeping them along our coastline? The reports have been dismall the last couple of weeks any idea of what the seals and porpoises will be feeding on, cant be mackerel or herring as its too early, but something is keeping them here???? any ideas

[g-force]

There's often a glut of small tommy-codlings in the rivers around this time of year, so I'm guessing they might be chasing them?

Gary

[Mad as a fish]

they fed up last maccy season so waited around cos they know the maccy are slowly heading back here LOL

[Sea_Troot]

probably more than likely the small tommies as there seems to be millions of them about at the min

[dabcatcher]

weve had porpoises of the end of the heugh all winter. about a month ago there was a pod of 30 close to the end of the pier.

they are feeding on the vast shoals of whiting. they didnt effect the fishing at all and you could still catch every cast at times.

but..... i have wittnessed atleast 4 occasions where the porpoises have taken hooked fish off the bottom, giving the guys a right struggle until they ripped off the fish or straightened the hooks. i saw one lad only get the head and spine of a large whiting after a good struggle.

they are doing this in the darkness aswell.

i dont know if they will still be there now that the whiting shoals have moved on.

[brash1]

I fished Seaham pier on tuesday night and there was a seal onthe pier halfway along must of come up the stone stairs

[marco1967]

weve had porpoises of the end of the heugh all winter. about a month ago there was a pod of 30 close to the end of the pier.

they are feeding on the vast shoals of whiting. they didnt effect the fishing at all and you could still catch every cast at times.

but..... i have wittnessed atleast 4 occasions where the porpoises have taken hooked fish off the bottom, giving the guys a right struggle until they ripped off the fish or straightened the hooks. i saw one lad only get the head and spine of a large whiting after a good struggle.

they are doing this in the darkness aswell.

i dont know if they will still be there now that the whiting shoals have moved on.

do you think they know the fish is hooked or do they just do that on porpoise ?

[jeff123]

This fellow pinched my Flatty when i was out on the kayak yesterday ha ha,

[Darnc]

There's a few seals in the mouth of the Tyne and the little haven beach area at the moment I watched one eating a nice size fish last week and fighting the seagulls off at the same time

[cod head]

from the twin steps hartlepool around 2 month ago when the whiting fishing was very productive..it was heading round the heugh way popping up every now and again few days later i seen 2 round the heugh way..little buggers

[db4111]

Seals

spoke to two fisheries officers on the pilot pier early on in the season[non of the local crab /inshore boats out because of the weather that day] so the two officers just came along for a chat with the shore anglers..... they seemed to think the seals are accounting for over 70% of the salmon and sea trout not making it up the rivers in 2012 and that if it was,nt for public opinion and the tree huggers there would be a cull to thin them out... because quite simply they are breeding and multipyling out of control, are taking over the estuaries and quite simply they are at the top of the food chain with NO PREDATORS!!!!!!!!! I reckon these guys no what they are talking about because they will have some facts and figures to back them up

[jeff123]

from the twin steps hartlepool around 2 month ago when the whiting fishing was very productive..it was heading round the heugh way popping up every now and again few days later i seen 2 round the heugh way..little buggers

That photo i put on is 200 yards off the twin steps, ha ha, had to stop fishing it followed me every were

[Boro5707]

There are around a 100 seals year round at 'seal sands' in the tees. Stocking up on mackerel last summer at the south gare, in one session, out of 21 mackerel hooked, 10 fell to the seals.
Also i think the Whitby charter boats are having to move locations when the seals are arriving for easy pickings.

[cod head]

That photo i put on is 200 yards off the twin steps, ha ha, had to stop fishing it followed me every were

yeah i put a photo on didn't upload though..you go kayaking off twin steps way?

[jeff123]

yeah i put a photo on didn't upload though..you go kayaking off twin steps way?

yes kayak off the sea front when i can, like to fish near the rocks