Fish Frenzy, Hastings Beach
7th September 2007, Friday
Large numbers of the whitebait shoals present inshore recently were beached along the tideline at Hastings this morning allowing correct identification of the species involved. The great majority are mixed shoals of herring and sprat along with much smaller numbers of sardine, sand-smelt (in centre of picture above) & sand-eel.
Large bait balls were being pushed close inshore, turning the sea black, by mackerel feeding from below and terns and gulls feeding from above.
Due to the very clear visibility at the moment it was like an aquarium watching the hunting mackerel from the breakwaters. The mackerel would force the whitebait up against the breakwater then dart in every so often to take a mouthful of whitebait.
Beached whitebait along the tide-line.