2005 - Whitby Naturalists

-1.
I
samc tirne numbers o{ C. helgolutdicus, which is smaller and less
palatable to fish, have increased in proportion. C.finmarchfcus prefers
cooicr watcr, and C. helgolandicu.s w?lrmer water. Links have been made
from this to falling numbers of cod anC flatfish.
Sea marnmals are not cxempt trom changes either. Risso's Dolphin, a
primariiy warmer water specics, accoun[ed for more than ten per cent
oi ceta,ceans seen in a survey hy hlewcastle University's Marine
Labi'rratory last year. T'his ciolphin is usually found off the southwesr
coast and hardly cvcr in the Nr:rth Sea - that is until very rcccnr years"
It is thought that rhey are pursuing squid migraring up fionr rhe English
Channcl. One of the iargest sightings of wLrales and dolphins'i,as ir pod
of tw' hundred and fifty whitc-Beakcd Dolphins abour thirty miles otT
Tyncmouth. This is another species prefl'rring wanner warers.
The latest information I havc on fish stocks comes from a prcss release
issued by ICES on i7 October 2005.It provides a very mixed picrure of
good and bad news. Sharks, skates and rays appear to be in rrouble.
spurdog a'd porbeaglc are in poor condition; spurdog in particular are
deplctccl to an ali-rirne low and rhe srock is thought to bc in danger of
coilapse. ICES are recommending a zcro catch of this species, along
with porbcagle, ccmmon skate antl thornback ray in the North sea.
converscly, som.. shark specics are lncrcasing; these inclutle lesser
spotted dogfish and smoorh hound. Haddock are srili plenriful
(estimated 266,a0a tonnes this year) rcsulting ftom the large number
spawned in 1999. Holvcver, frr;m 2000 onward spau,ning ievels have
been below average so catch levels will &rll unirss there is another bie
spawning year soon.
cod stocks on rhe other hand remain well below the levels
rccommcnded as a minimum, and ICES advise rh;]t none should be
caught commercially. Plaice and sole arc said to need rcduction in
catch. Efforts should be made to allow piaice spawning stock to
increase and prevent any decline in sole sparvning stock. Sand ccls, on
5l