Marine Life

Crustaceans
Shore and velvet crabs are common and easy to catch but remember to keep them in a bucket of fresh sea water and put them back before you leave. Sea anemones, urchins and starfish can be found in rock pools at low tide.

Jellyfish
Several species of jellyfish make Tarbert their summer home. The first to arrive and the most common is the moon jellyfish. The barrel jellyfish, at 35Kg is the largest to visit UK waters and is regularly seen in the Clyde. It is a major food source for a much rarer visitor: the leather back turtle. Male leatherbacks make their way all across the Atlantic from their spawning grounds in the Caribbean. Leatherback turtles tend to remain well out at sea so you are unlikely to see them. One was caught in a fishing net and landed in Tarbert harbour. Jellyfish have had a bad press for their stings, which they use to protect themselves from predators. The sting of the moon and barrel jellyfish is very mild and unlikely to harm most people. The red compass and lion’s mane however do have a nasty sting - so look but don’t touch!

Fish, Seals and Otters
The vast shoals of herring that used to frequent the loch have gone but mackerel shoals are abundant in the summer. Look out for seals: they quite often come into the harbour in search of fish

Otters can come right into the harbour and can be found all along our coast. When you are on the beach look out for otter signs: crab shells, fish scales and bones on rocks are the remains of his supper. On sandy beaches look out for paw prints: otters have five toes whilst dogs only have four. Our otters are the same species that are making a comeback in Britain’s rivers; however, on our fish-rich rocky shoreline otters have taken to the sea to hunt. Once a day they still have to return to a fresh water to wash the salt water out of their coats.

Cetaceans
The Clyde is rich in cetacean species. Harbour porpoise can often be seen from the Tarbert - Portavadie ferry. Look out for them about a kilometre offshore; this is where the seabed deepens dramatically (known as a “drop-off”) and it is here that fish congregate.

Bottlenose dolphins, roam over large areas. They visit the harbour occasionally and enjoy bow-riding – if you are very lucky you might see them do this beside the ferry.

Minke whales regularly come up the Clyde in summer. In 2015 a humpback whale was seen breaching in Loch Fyne: an incredible sight! In 2018 a pod of killer whales was spotted in the Clyde. Basking Shark
Basking sharks (the world’s second largest fish) live on plankton and congregate in Loch Fyne during the summer. You might be lucky and see them from the Portavadie ferry.

West Loch and the Atlantic
The West Loch is shallow and brackish compared to Loch Fyne. It faces the Atlantic Coast but has a narrow entrance and is sheltered by the islands of Gigha, Islay and Jura from the worst of the storms. It is home to oysters, scallops and mussels, including the larger horse mussel and a different range of bird species including great northern divers and red-breasted mergansers.

Red Breasted Merganser by Alicia Lynn CC BY 2.0