No hiding place – a cuttlefish digging for buried sandeels
That the burying strategy doesn ’ t guarantee safety for the sandeels was demonstrated by another experience nearly as memorable as the Salcombe ‘ wreck dive ’. It was an evening dive at Chesil Cove in Dorset and , as we swam slowly over the ridged sandy seabed , two large cuttlefish appeared to be tracking our every move . After some initial bemusement , I concluded they were waiting for our movements to disturb sandeels from their hiding place so they could have an easy meal . Once we stopped , we were being less helpful to the cuttlefish and they went off to delve in the sand for themselves . We had been of some use , but clearly weren ’ t essential for a successful hunt !
It ’ s not just pollock and cuttlefish that eat sandeels of course , they are crucial prey for a great variety of fish , sea mammals and seabirds and are therefore an incredibly important component of our seas ’ food web . Sadly , they are taken in vast quantities by industrial fisheries to produce fishmeal and oil , and this has had a massive impact on their numbers . While there are some closed areas , conservation organisations are rightly pressing for stronger regulation of sandeel fisheries in UK waters . �
A pair of predatory pollock waiting to strike , the sandeels are streaks above them
A smaller lobster was occupying a discarded traffic cone .
17