The Lyons Share

You may not know this (really, where have you been?) but there is a ongoing, bitter struggle between the forces of good (me) and the forces of evil (the Dark Lord of the Fish, Richard Comont) to be the top fish lister on the PSL website. Last week I clawed my way up to joint top place for 24 hours before Richard got two new species himself. Yesterday, I closed that gap again. Here's how...

...I decided to go and see my old friend Oli Froom who is always up for an outdoor adventure. Living in Eastbourne, I thought it would be good to try and see if there was anything happening in the rock pools off Beachy Head. It was actually really quiet although a really nice afternoon. Typically, Shanny was the most abundant fish and after many attempts, the small fry I was seeing were proved to be young Bass. 

I then walked straight up to a fish stranded on an area of bare sand between rock pools. It was still breathing (just about) so I stuffed it in my net and put it in a rock pool and got out the handbook. Now I knew this was a gadoid but it didn't look familiar. I have seen Pollack, Whiting, Bib and Cod but this looked different. It keyed out to Poor Cod! A lifer and my 74th fish! I'm still one behind Richard but I will get there soon enough.

Finally some Trivia. We also saw this Spotted Cowrie Trivia monacha, haven't seen these since I was a kid!