Dramatic footage shows ‘predators’ herd large shoal of fish off Gwynedd coast

When taking photos of a Hollywood sunset off the Gwynedd coast, something caught the eye of holidaymaker Hilary Turner. Out in Cardigan Bay, she could see a large disturbance the water’s surface.

Switching to video, she zoomed in and witnessed a sight rarely captured on camera on the Welsh coast. Hundreds, if not thousands, of fish were being forced to the surface .

It’s thought that what Hilary filmed, from her vantage point near Barmouth, was a bait ball. This is a tightly packed formation of small fish used as a last-ditch defensive technique when threatened by a predator.

READ MORE: Iconic seaside town hotel that then became high street eyesore has been sold

It’s not known what predator was involved but likely candidates are the dolphins regularly seen in the sea off Barmouth. Marine expert Gem Simmons, director of North Wales Seal Research Organisation, said herding prey into a bait ball is a behaviour typical of cetaceans such as whales, dolphins and porpoises.

“Once herding, they will pick off individuals to eat,” she said. “On occasion, bait balls can often involve multiple species feeding at the same time. As well as cetaceans, these include larger fish predators, sharks and, occasionally, pinnipeds (seals). Coastal birds often join in at the surface.”

Mum-of-two Hilary, a 43-year-old former childcare worker from Cambridgeshire, was visiting Barmouth with her partner. They were watching the sunset at 13th century St Mary’s Church, , when they spotted the shoal, possibly mackerel.

“The sea was like glass,” she said. “All of a sudden we saw birds diving down and I used the video facility to zoom in to see what they were doing.

“Seeing all those fish come to the surface reminded me of wildlife films where predators swim around in circles before one goes in to grab a fish. It looked like there were at least two of them circling the fish.

“We consider ourselves very lucky to have seen something like this. We’d been on the beach all day looking out for dolphins but we didn’t see any, so to witness this was certainly a bonus. It was a lovely way to finish a lovely day.”

What’s the strangest wildlife sight you’ve ever seen off the North Wales coast? Let us know in the comments below.

As regular visitors to Barmouth, it’s not the first time the couple have seen some unusual wildlife sights at the seaside resort. Last year Hilary grabbed a photo of a grass snake idling in the sun on the town’s promenade.

She also saw what appeared to be two or three whales just off the coast. “We were sitting on the prom having fish and chips,” she said.

“We saw a pod of something in the water and thought they might be dolphins. But they seemed much larger and they began skirting water into the air – I didn’t think dolphins do that. Someone in the town later told us they were pilot whales. It’s a shame, I didn’t have my phone ready to film them.”

Dolphins do expel water from a blowhole in the top of their heads, so that they can breathe. However whale sightings on the Welsh coast are not uncommon: on Friday, June 16, a Minke whale was spotted off Anglesey and at 7am on May 17, a killer whale was recorded off Pwllheli, Gwynedd.

Larger still was the female sperm whale washed up Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth) on the Llŷn Peninsula a week earlier. She was alive for a brief period but died shortly afterwards. You can read more about this here.

Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter – sent every Tuesday