A seal has found its way into an Essex resevoir.
(Picture: Leon Neal / Getty Images)A seal is having a whale of a time after finding himself trapped in a fishing lake and treating it as if “in a branch of Waitrose”.
After taking up residence, the seal has been living its best life, eating as much fish as possible, much to the dismay of local anglers.
The seal has evaded numerous attempts at capture and clearly has no incentive to leave after munching a total of £3,000 worth of fish.
The seal, known as Nelson, was first spotted at Rochford Reservoir in Essex in December 2022, according to the BBC.
Since Nelson’s arrival, large amounts of carp, catfish, and bream have vanished, causing the closure of the popular fishing lake.
Marine medic and member of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) Simon Dennis said: “It probably has no incentive to leave as it’s found itself in a branch of Waitrose and it’s munching its way through the fish.”
However, he added that the animal does need to be caught for its own welfare and due to the sheer number of fish it is consuming during its time there.
Dennis believes it is more than likely that the seal found its way into the reservoir after it had swum up a river inlet from the sea and subsequently became stuck.
The reservoir is owned by Rochford District Council but Nick North, of Marks Hall Fisheries, is the licenceholder and has been for more than 10 years.
North voiced his anger at the seal's gluttony at his own expense and said: “It’s ridiculous. It’s ruining my business.”
He added: “It shouldn’t be here, this is fresh water, you’ve never seen a seal in a park lake or any lake, really.
“It’s not made for fresh water. Even though it’s ruining my business. It’s still part of nature I suppose, just an unwanted part.”
The BDMLR said: “We do want this animal to be relocated as much as the angling community do – it cannot exhibit normal ‘seal’ behaviour on its own – they are social, colony animals – and all agencies involved do appreciate the detrimental effect on the other species in the lake.”
