I make no apology for my narrow minded view on seals as I have a penchant for catching migatory fish.
There is no doubt in my mind that back in 'the good old days' when population control was partially in the hand of the salmon netsman there was a balance between the predator population and the fish.
Since the disappearance of many netting stations due to buyouts this balance has been lost. I believe that it is still possible for certain bodies to legally shoot seals but the red tape etc that needs to be negotiated in order to do so is not worth the hassle as numbers permitted to be shot are minimal to say the least and would have no effect.
The seal population has increased dramatically in recent decades. It would be simplistic to attribute the fall in the numbers of returning migratory fish ( particularly seatrout) to the increased predation by seals but it must surely have a significant impact.
We as anglers do our bit by indulging in catch and release,our various river boards run hatcheries,restocking programmes and improve habitat. To this end I cannot help but wonder who the main beneficiaries of these programmes may be but suspect that a large portion of this good work is undone along our coastline.
Having checked BIGTROUT 's links I also cannot help wondering if the demise of the common seal is in part due to it's own success after all it does not really have to look over it's shoulder to often , we do not seem to see many Orcas hanging around these airts!
On the subject of industrial fishing( lack of sandeel) I think that everyone agrees that it is an equation that does not balance, basically a disaster . Quite why this industry was allowed to take root I do not know but unfortunately the organisations that run this industry are powerful and carry clout , marry that to the man in the streets desire for cheap protein and profit hungry mega retailers and you can see that this problem is here to stay.
Although industrial fishing takes the brunt of the blame for many problems I also suspect that there are other angles to the problem of sandeel shortages.To my knowledge the Danish Industrial fleet ( the main perpetrators) do not operate regularly close to our coast although there is an area off Arbroath where they fish.I also believe that no industrial fishing takes place off our West Coast . This begs the question where are our coastal populations of sandeel ? Perhaps the answer partially lies in the effects of climate change .