IFI Seal Predation on Salmon Report Published

jkchambers

As we know seals prey a lot on salmon especially in river estuaries. Below is a link to an IFI report just published on this issue
http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Notices/sealsalmon-predation-project-interim-report.html

BoarHunter

Seals have always fed on Salmon in my opinion. Just because now Salmons are scarce then Seals could eventually be considered as vermin ( I see it coming ) would be leveling things down rather than fixing the real issue which is Salmon stocks improvement back to a more acceptable balance. IMO it was and will always be a natural factor of the Salmon life cycle. A bit like when the turtles break off their egg shell to run into the sea they suffer a huge impact from predators without endangering the species.

Good thing to quantify the impact of Seals predation on the stock though. The more we know and the better we understand. I would love to have a job like this Should have done better at school ! :pac:

demanufactured

If salmon anglers didn't kill salmon there would be more salmon....simples.

jkchambers

The problem now is that seals are in river estuarys in huge numbers waiting for salmon to arrive. 20 years ago you didnt see anything like these numbers in the estuarys. A couple of years ago salmon netsmen and others went out into the Wexford Harbour area and counted 1000 seals in an organised count. In the same way cormorants were never seen inland and now they are all over our inland waterways. Maybe its overfishing at sea thats the cause of them coming in.

breghall

the growth of seals in wex harbour over the past few years has been rapid, and the poor fishing inside in the harbour and off the bridge over the last few years is defintely a major downside to this. Even with netting banned the fishing is poor. Seals are there for a reason = good food supply....

Salmon and trout are still getting through but not nearly as many as there used to be. We can blame overfishing/poaching but large seal predation at the mouth of the harbour really doesn't help situation one little bit.

We cull deer in this country with no real issues, but once you mention a cute little cuddly seal cull then you are scorned upon. They are not vermin but IMO they need to be managed.

jkchambers

Its not just salmon they eat !
They eat pike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUKjrZOoMnc
They eat large carp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7_jXK3ufq8

yubabill1

demanufactured wrote: »

If salmon anglers didn't kill salmon there would be more salmon....simples.

If we lived in prehistoric times, there would be no pollution or habitat destruction.....go figure.:eek:

breghall

jkchambers wrote: »

Its not just salmon they eat !
They eat pike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUKjrZOoMnc
They eat large carp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7_jXK3ufq8
[/QUOTE]


Lucky beggars, they got 2 nice fish there....

Macy0161

jkchambers wrote: »

The problem now is that seals are in river estuarys in huge numbers waiting for salmon to arrive. 20 years ago you didnt see anything like these numbers in the estuarys. A couple of years ago salmon netsmen and others went out into the Wexford Harbour area and counted 1000 seals in an organised count. In the same way cormorants were never seen inland and now they are all over our inland waterways. Maybe its overfishing at sea thats the cause of them coming in.

They were still legally hunted up to the 70's. As well as overfishing at sea, it could also be part of the rebalancing and they'll naturally reach a cap.

I don't really get the need to continuously mess with nature, culling pike and wanting to cull seals to protect wild fish stocks - long before anglers fished, trout and salmon had to cope with predetators. At least there's some arguement about cormorants inland, which are out of their natural habitat, but it's very hard to get a natural balance when elements keep getting messed with.

jkchambers

Seal now found well inland in Killarney Lakes. I am sure the seal is stuffing itself on trout. Are they now going to work their way up rivers and into lakes where there are pike and coarse fish to feed on
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/seal-makes-waves-in-killarney-lake-224906.html

Bizzum

jkchambers wrote: »

Seal now found well inland in Killarney Lakes. I am sure the seal is stuffing itself on trout. Are they now going to work their way up rivers and into lakes where there are pike and coarse fish to feed on
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/seal-makes-waves-in-killarney-lake-224906.html[/QUOTE]

I think I can better that:D. There was a Seal spotted upstream of Slane on the Boyne. By river I measured it on a map as 27Km.