An Chorr - The Sandeel
Swimmers and paddlers in the summer months would be very familiar with the schools of little fish that gather and dart about in our shallow bays and beaches. Often they are followed by larger fish , but not perhaps when there are too many people about. On quiet evenings, seatrout, mackerel and pollock can be observed chasing these sandeels and driving them to the surface where they lose their advantage of camouflage. They try to escape but seatrout can be seen leaping into the air with one or two eels in its mouth.
The sandeel on the surface of the ocean has little chance as its enemies come from above as well as below. I remember one dead calm day when i was salmon fishing and near the boat I saw a sandeel jumping out of the water once, twice and three times in quick succession but before the fourth jump, a large seatrout broke the surface with the eel in its mouth. But he had just got there before a little tern reached the spot.
Sandeels are found from Scandanavia and Iceland down to the coast of Portugal. They are however very scarce in the Mediterranean Sea but quite common in Baltic waters. The sandeel has many enemies and is the chief prey of many of our better known fish, including mackerel, herring, cod, pollock and whiting. Sandeels themselves hunt small fry and worms.
The larger type of sandeel is called Lance or Launce in England perhaps from its lance –like shape. They can grow up to 30cm and are caught by anglers on feathers. For many years there has been a commercial sandeel fishery on the North Sea and this catch was processed for animal feed and fertilizer. When some colonies of seabirds nesting on the North Sea coast began to decline rapidly, the cause was identified as the over exploitation of the sandeel population. If the food supply of many species of birds and fish is taken away, then there has to follow a decline in the dependant species.
Sandeels are one of the main baits used by anglers and longlinering vessels. They are sold frozen for sale in tackle shops but these frozen eels are poor in comparison with fresh eels. The sandeel can be easily procured by the angler who understands their habit of burying themselves in sand at low-water. A fork or rake or even a specially prepared knife can be dragged through the sand until an eel is exposed and then they have to be grabbed quickly as they take little time reburying themselves. The eels can be kept alive for some time in cold containers well aerated. They die quickle if conditions are not right.
Sandeels migrates to deeper water in winter but not all of them leave our shores. It is still possible to find them in sandy bays even in wintertime but their numbers are less than in summer.
Seamas Mac an Iomaire describes the fun people had searching for sandeels on the Conamara shoreline in days gone by. “Is deas milis an t-iasc na scadáin ghainimh nuair a bhíos said gléasta mar is ceart, agus dá bhrí sin ní ligeann mná, gasúir ná fir a leas ar cairde gan an trá a chartadh sna hoícheanta le slam acu a bhaint; mura mbeadh tada eile acu ann, is mór an caitheamh aimsire dóibh é agus bionn greann go leor ar bun ag na buachaillí agus ag na cailíní i rith shéasúr a mbainte” - “Sandeels are nice fish when prepared properly and on account of this ,women, children and men do not waste time searching the shore at night time to get a pile of them and if for no other reason, it is a great pastime and the boys and girls have great fun during the sandeel harvest”. |
