Alderney Fish

Littoral Zone, Inshore and local commercial fish

This list is only intended to cover those fish found;

1. Mainly within the intertidal zone,

2. Those caught with rod and line from the shore and

3. Those caught from small boats within about 1-3 miles of the shore or over known wreck sites up to 12-15 miles away by the larger boats.

v 1. Littoral Zone Fish

A brief list of the majority of those most commonly seen or caught, will be found in the text of Region 1. on pages 21/22, but is being repeated here for the convenience of readers.

A few species, which are virtually confined to this zone, are only of interest to the naturalist and have no value as a food source, but many more of those found here are fry of the larger species covered in the next two categories, see the two tables below for their scientific names.

Likely to be found in upper tidal pools;

Sole, Dab and Plaice fry, Rock (Gobius paganellus) and Sand (Pomatoschistus minutus) Gobies, may be seen in sandy pools;

Usually in mid-tide pools;

Montague's Blenny (Coryphoblennius galerita), Shanny (Blennius pholis), Topknot (Zeugopterus punctatus; tiny fry of the Thick-lipped Grey Mullet; small specimens of Sand-eels, both the Lesser and Greater;. three species of the interesting worm-like Pipefish may be found. The Worm (or Snake) Pipefish (Entelurus aequorius), the Lesser Pipefish (Syngnathus rostellatus) and the much larger (up to 50cm.) Greater Pipefish (Syngnathus acus) and Montague's Seasnail (Liparis montagui).

Usually at the bottom of the tidal range;

The Tompot Blenny (Blennius gattorugine), Butterfly Blenny (Blennius ocellaris), Butterfish (Pholis gunnellus), Garfish, 2-spotted Gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens), the Sand Goby (Pomatoschistus minutus), Sand Smelt, Fifteen-spined Stickleback (Spinachia spinachia), may be seen down to about 10m depth.

Lump Suckers or Sea Hens, Cornish Sucker, young Wrasse and Conger Eel fry (photo p. 12). Young of the Ballan Wrasse are also found and other brightly coloured species of Wrasse have all been recorded in this range.

Young Pollack are frequent and shoals of small specimens of Shore Rockling (Gaidropsarus mediterraneus) and the Five-bearded Rockling (Ciliata rostella).

Shore catches

v 2. Fish caught by shore fishermen

In recent years the annual Aurigny Airlines Fishing Competition has brought considerable numbers of fishermen from the other Channel Islands and the UK to Alderney each October. A list of the species caught in these competitions and the prize weights of some species is appended below. A number of British and CI records now come from Alderney.

Common names	Scientific names	Max. weights caught (lbs.ozs)
Bass	Dicentrachus labrax	16.8
Bream	Abramis brama	6
Bream, Couches		1.13
Cornish Sucker	Lepadogaster lepadogaster
Conger Eel	Conger conger	6.8
Dogfish	Scyliorhinus canicula	2.7
Garfish	Belone belone	2
Gurnard, Red	Aspitrigla cuculus	1.11
Lump Sucker, (Sea Hen)	Cyclopterus lumpus
Mackerel	Scomber scombrus	1.13
Monkfish	Squatina squatinus
Mullet, Golden Grey	Liza auratus	3
Mullet, Grey	Chelon labrosus	11.14
Mullet, Red	Mullus surmulatus	3.15
Plaice	Pleuronectes platessa	7.9
Pollack	Pollachius pollachuis	16.1
Pout	Trisopterus luscus	2.1
Ray, Small-eyed	Raja microocellata	14.7
Ray, Spotted	Raja montagui
Ray, Undulate	Raja undulata	19
Rockling, Shore	Gaidropsarus mediterraneus
Saithe	Pollachius virens
Sand Eel, Greater, (Launce)	Hyperoplus lanceolatus
Sand Eel, Lesser	Ammodytes tobianus	0.4
Sand Smelt	Atherina presbyter
Skate, Common	Raja batis
Scad	Trachurus trachurus	1.7
Smoothound	Mustelus mustelus	7.1
Sole	Solea solea	6.8
Tope	Galeorhinus galeus	50
Wrasse, Ballan	Labrus bergylita	8.8
Wrasse, Cuckoo	Labrus mixtus	1.12

Boat catches

v 3. Fish caught by off-shore fishermen: mostly by amateurs from small boats, but including those caught in 'home' waters by Alderney based professional fishermen

These lists are not exhaustive but includes most of the species commonly or frequently caught and some of the more interesting occasional finds

Offshore and reef, mostly to 3 miles; wreck	fishing; up to 8-15 miles from Alderney	Max. weights caught. Up to (lbs.ozs)
Bass	Dicentrachus labrax	17.5
Bream, Black	Abramis brama	6.1
Bream, Couche's	Spondyliosoma cantharus	4.7
Brill	Schophthalmus rhombus	13.8
Coalfish	Pollachius virens	26.3
Cod	Gadus morhua	39
Poor Cod	Trisopterus minutus	0.6
Conger Eel	Conger conger	108
Dogfish	Scyliorhinus canicula	3.2
Garfish	Belone belone	2
Gurnard, Grey	Eutrigla gurnadus	1.5
Gurnard, Red	Aspitrigla cuculus	2.13
Huss, Bull	Scyliorhinus stellaria	14.5
Herring	Clupea harrengus
Launce, (Greater Sandeel)	Hyperoplus lanceolatus	8.7
Ling	Molva molva	26
Mackerel	Scomber scombrus	4.2
Mullet- Grey	Chelon labrosus	15
Mullet- Red	Mullus surmulettas	5.14
Plaice	Pleuronectes platessa	8.11
Pollack	Pollachius pollachuis	18
Porbeagle Shark	Lamna nasus	220
Pout(ing)	Trisopterus luscus	3.6
Ray Blonde	Raja brachyura	39
Ray, Sting	Dasyatis pastinaca	36.2
Ray, Thornback	Raja clavata
Ray, Undulate	Raja undulata	19.6
Scad, (Horse Mackerel)	Trachurus trachurus
Smoothound	Mustelus mustelus
Smuts		12.7
Spratt	Sprattus sprattus
Tope	Galeorhinus galeus	55
Triggerfish	Ballistes carolinensis
Tuna
Turbot	Scophthalmus maximus	32.4
Wrasse, Ballan	Labrus bergylita	8.6
Wrasse, Cuckoo	Labrus mixtus	1.15

The earliest recorded list of Channel Island fishes which I have been able to find is a list of 16 species caught commercially, "in great quantity by Guernsey fishermen, ...", in Berry's 1815 History of Guernsey. Anstead's 1862 History of Guernsey contains F.C. Lukis' list of 121 species, created over many years of studying and drawing the fish, with their scientific and local names.

The next, by Joseph Sinel, in La Société Guernesiaise Transactions 1905 pp56-65, printed below, lists ninety species of sea fish and six freshwater species, with both their local English, patois and scientific names and notes about their frequency, habitats, times when found and, occasionally, descriptions of the fish or notes on the islands where they have been caught. This was followed in 1908 by E.D Marquand's shorter list, referred to above, on pp522-4 of the 1908 Transactions, and listed on page 21 of this book.

All these authors seem to feel that there is little difference in the numbers of species to be found around each of the islands, only a difference in quantities. The two species of Seahorse (Hippocampus spp.) do however seem to be more frequent in the slightly warmer waters around Jersey and are not mentioned in the Alderney lists.

Joseph Sinel's list, 1905

Note; Names are as written in the original article.

Frequency a:c:o:r:= abundant, frequent, occasional, rare Found in J:G:A:= Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney

Left blank if present in all islands

English name	Frequency	Found in	English name	Frequency	Found in
Great Spotted Dogfish	a		Sciena	r
Lesser Spotted Dogfish	a		Mackerel	c in G & A	less c in J
Blue Shark	r		John Dory	f
Porbeagle Shark	o		Scad	f/c
Tope	c		Boar Fish	o Spring visitor
Smooth Hound	f		Black Goby	f in pools
Picked Dogfish	a		Little Goby	c in pools
Monk Fish	o		Two-spotted Goby	c in pools
Skate	c		Slender Goby	o in pools
Long-nosed Skate	o		Broad-finned Goby	r	J
Thornback Ray	c		Yellow Sculpin	o in deep water
Spotted Ray	f		Lump Fish	f
Painted Ray	o		Montagu's Sucker	o
read from	top of next	column
Electric Ray	o		Cornish Sucker	f
Sting Ray	o		Angler	o
Sea Bullhead	a		Gattarine Blenny	c in deep water
Sea Adder or Stickleback	c in pools		Smooth Blenny	a in deep water
Basse	c		Butter Fish	c in pools
Serranus	r		Wolf Fish	vr	J
Surmullet	f		Atherine Smelt	a
"Old Wife"	f	c in J f inG	Grey Mullet	c
Common Sea Bream	c	Less c in Jersey	Lesser Grey M	c
Red Gurnard	f		Spotted Wrasse	c	rocky shores
Grey Gurnard	f . young c in pools		Green Wrasse (Doubtful)	c	rocky shores
Streaked Gurnard	less common		Comber Wrasse	c	rocky shores
Great Weever	o		Striped Wrasse	f	deep water
Viper (Little Wr)	o	not in J	Three-spotted Wrasse	female of above
Rock Cock	a	rocky shores	Flounder	f
Cork-wing	female of above		Sole	f
Cod	f		Little Sole	c
Bib	c		Herring	o
Whiting	f		Sprat	o
Pollack Whiting	a		Whitebait	c
Coalfish	o		Allis Shad	o
Ling	r		Garfish	c	less c in J
Torsk	vr	G	Salmon	r
Three-bearded Rockling	c		Conger	c
Five-bearded Rockling	a in pools		Great Pipe Fish	c in Zostera
Lesser Sand-eel	a		Broad-nosed Pipe Fish	c in Zostera
Greater Sand-eel	a		Snake Pipe Fish	c in Zostera
Turbot	f		Worm Pipe Fish	f on rocky shores
Brill	f		Sea Horse	o	J & G
Topknot	f	on rocky shores	Sun Fish	vo
Plaice	c		Lamprey	vr	J
Dab	o
read from	top of next	column

Cuckoo Wrasse

Sea Horse

Pictures by Sue Daly