There's a huge increase in the number of seals in our area. We're seeing a lot more now. We have a few down home. It's just a different area. We're about 40 miles apart. The harbour seals don't bother our bait; it's just the grey seals. They take the heads and all when they go.
But as weir fishermen we fish huge sardine traps, the stationary traps in the water. I own shares in three of those. That's another love of mine. But also, in the nighttime there are so many seals that they lie across the mouth of the weir and won't let the fish down the weir. They go around, they bang, and the fish just won't go down. The sardines are scared away and won't go near the weir.
So the seals are a big problem. When I was young, my father used to hunt seal for a bounty, for the jaws. God forbid you should ever do that today. But the seals are one of the biggest problems, a huge problem, especially the grey seals. I see them coming more and more every year in our area.