Sandeels – you may not have heard of them, but you may well have seen them. The recent Wild Isles series brought stunning footage of these tiny fish glistening beneath the waves as well as those iconic images of brightly coloured Puffin beaks brimming with sandeels into our homes. In this blog we dive a little deeper into one of RSPB Scotland’s longstanding policy asks – a ban on industrial sandeel fishing – and share some ocean optimism this World Ocean Day!
It’s World Ocean Day and here in Scotland, we’ve got a lot to celebrate! Home to over 60% of the UK’s seas and 70% of the UK’s seabirds, as well as a whole host of other internationally important species and habitats – our seas are brimming with life above and below the waves. It’s not surprising that at RSPB Scotland we have whole programmes of work geared up to protect our special seas, coasts and islands. Our marine work ranges from undertaking pioneering scientific research, to protecting special species and habitats on our reserves, to advocacy to ensure decision makers take action to recover and protect our incredible marine life!
It's estimated that the UK's Kittiwake population has halved since the 1960s. Credit: Paul Turner.
Small fish, big impact
One of our longstanding priorities that truly embodies the breadth and nature of our marine work is our call for a ban on industrial fishing for sandeels – which you can read more about here. Sandeels are a little fish with a big impact; they are highly nutritious and are an absolute staple in the diets of some of our most-loved wildlife. From Kittiwakes to Cod, Puffins to Porpoises, Shags to Salmon – all of these animals rely on sandeels at some point or another. For seabirds, sandeels are hugely important during the breeding season. Over 5 million seabirds breed here in Scotland, and hundreds of thousands of these rely on sandeels to feed themselves and their chicks.
But as many people will know, our seabirds are in trouble. Threatened by a range of impacts from climate change to bycatch (the accidental death or injury of animals) in fishing gear, to invasive mammals on islands and new pressures like Avian Flu and the rapid expansion of offshore renewable energy development, our seabirds need our help. A lack of prey caused by climate change and overfishing is a real concern for some species, so we’ve long been calling for action on tractable threats, like industrial fishing for sandeels, to help build resilience in these populations.
Every year sandeels are taken in huge quantities – hundreds of thousands of tonnes to be exact – from the North Sea, almost exclusively by large industrial trawlers from the EU. From there they are made into fishmeal and oil to feed farmed animals and fish. Alongside climate change, this puts added pressure onto sandeels making the situation worse for these fish and the animals that depend on them.
A long-fought battle
For over 25 years RSPB Scotland, alongside local fishers, have been flagging concerns about the impact of fishing on an industrial scale by EU vessels for these tiny fish – which have a hugely important role in underpinning the health of our seas. Since then, we’ve had some important wins with the creation of the ‘sandeel box’ in 2000 and the designation of Marine Protected Areas for sandeels and feeding seabirds but, there is more to do…
In recent years there has been vital progress with the Scottish Government leading the way on Sandeel protection. In June 2021, the Cabinet Secretary confirmed that the Scottish Government did not support fishing for sandeels in Scottish waters, which made its way into the Scottish Future Fisheries Management Strategy (and Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan) and was confirmed as the overarching UK position. There was also a UK-wide call for evidence on the future of sandeel fishing in UK waters where all four UK Fisheries Administrations recognised that ‘urgent actions are needed to protect sandeel and Norway pout stocks and the wider marine ecosystem’, and the UK Government’s sandeel consultation which included the proposal to ban industrial fishing in the English waters of the North Sea has recently come to a close. In the interim, UK vessels have not been allocated quota to fish Sandeels in support of the Government’s position to not support fishing for sandeels.
But there’s been a crucial development recently. Just last month we got the incredible news that the Scottish Government will shortly be holding a consultation proposing to completely prohibit industrial fishing for sandeels in Scottish waters! Expected this summer, this consultation will be a gamechanger in our efforts to help our most threatened seabirds. Alongside the consultation from the UK Government, this will be the very measure we need to bring an end to industrial fishing for sandeels across our waters once and for all, helping to build much needed resilience in our seas at a critical time.
The iconic image of a Puffin holding sandeels in its mouth could be a thing of the past without vital support. Credit: Colin Wilkinson.
Help secure this game-changing decision
We’ll need your help to get it over the line though so keep an eye out for our upcoming campaign e-action to support the call to end sandeel fishing by industrial trawlers in Scottish waters. Over 32,000 people backed a ban in English waters and we’re hoping just as many – or more – people can show their support for a ban in Scottish waters! Do keep an eye out for more information and sign up to our Scottish campaigns newsletter by visiting https://rspb.org.uk/CampaignChampions and following RSPB Scotland on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram if you want to be the first to hear the latest.
More information about the importance of a sandeel ban can be found here and what a UK-wide ban would mean in practice here. You can read our reaction to the Scottish Government’s announcement here.
Header image shows a Puffin holding sandeels in its beak against a blue background. Credit: Chris Gomersall.