SGB004: Gull with spurdog

A lesser black-backed gull (Larus argentatus) taking a spurdog (Squalus acanthias) from the trawl nets as they were being hauled. The spurdog, or piked dogfish, is a species in serious decline around the UK and it is estimated that their population has decreased by around 95% since the 1950s.

Concerningly, the numbers of lesser black-backed gulls have also been declining and there are concerns that stopping commercial fisheries from discarding too quickly could adversely affect the gull populations too.