Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Bakerboy

Ythan Mouth
« on: 25/05/2009 at 13:27 »
Had a nice walk with the family at Newburgh yesterday round the mouth of the Ythan / Forvie sands. There was a colony of about 25-30 seals sunbathing at the north side of the river mouth most of which entered the water as the tide came in. What % of the salmon / sea trout entering the river would forum members (who may know about these things) reckon that they would pick off? IMHO I would have been surprised if anything made it past this lot!!
I realise that they are part of nature and the fittest survive etc and they were great to watch......just wondered as a fisherman what effect they have on the apparent "dwindling" numbers of seat trout especially.

Jim Eddie

Re: Ythan Mouth
« Reply #1 on: 25/05/2009 at 18:19 »
Bakerboy

Don't have any staistics , but that amount of Seals is bound to have a significant impact on the numbers. Trouble is in days of yore when Salmon and Sea Trout were more numerous it might not have mattered that much. Nature has a way of taking care of itself if left alone though.

 :z18

Jim

 

Dave Mundie

Re: Ythan Mouth
« Reply #2 on: 26/05/2009 at 22:25 »
I heard that the water Bailey was allowed to cull a certain amount of the seals each year dont know if this is true or not.
Apparently when the water is low in the ythan and the fish are lying in the pools the seals can be seen as far up as ellon!

Dave

P Ross

Re: Ythan Mouth
« Reply #3 on: 27/05/2009 at 02:31 »
Not sure about that. Spent alot of time in Ellon and never saw a seal there. Plenty of water rats though !!

acercon3

Re: Ythan Mouth
« Reply #4 on: 27/05/2009 at 08:40 »
I understand that dispensation can be applied for to shoot a very small number of seals , the figure I heard quoted was '2 or 3'.
Apparently the red tape that needs to be negotiated makes the exercise pointless in terms of the difference that 2 or 3 less seals would make.


ythanfisher

Re: Ythan Mouth
« Reply #5 on: 27/05/2009 at 21:49 »
The Ythan Bailiff had a licence for 2007 and 2008 to shoot seals, but this was strictly limited to upriver of the Logiebuchan Bridge at the top of the Machar Pool.

Grampian Police have now decreed that they will not permit the use of a rifle within the estuary, due to reasons of public safety.

The seals at Newburgh have nothing to fear at present or for the forseeable future.

How many salmon, sea trout and smolts they eat is not known, but no doubt, being opportunistic predators, they will take a proportion.


 




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