Smelt have returned to the Mersey

Margaret Coles, leader of our rockpooling afternoon at New Brighton beach on 22nd June, was delighted to find that Smelt have returned to breed in the Mersey.

While checking out the pools prior to the event, she found many of the silvery juvenile fish in the pools under the groynes on New Brighton beach. Sand accretion across the beach has now lifted levels to where wave action makes pools under the concrete groynes, which retain water at low tide. Smelt breed in tide-pools and, once grown to full size, used to be caught as food.

Other residents of the pools include sea anemones, starfish, dog whelks and brown shrimps, with honeycomb worms making miniature reefs nearby. However, catching the smelt proved the most popular activity with the younger members of the party! At the low end of the shore, smelt were going down a runnel into the sea, but some getting stuck part-way. A tern and a seagull were taking advantage of this for an easy meal - until we arrived. The boys helped as many smelt as possible into the sea - obviously baby fish scored over birds for that afternoon!