News / Friendly seal gets up close to fisherman
A FRIENDLY seal has been snapped reaching out to a Shetland fisherman on a boat looking for some lunch before being treated to a bite to eat.
Photographer Phil Beaumont, from Fife, managed to capture the moment as he was taking snaps of wildlife near Toft pier.
The eye-catching photos were taken in summer last year but were only shared via the Shetland on Camera Facebook page last week.
The friendly grey seal is seen grabbing a hold of the side of the small boat as the man gives it some fish.
The seal is said to have lived in Toft for six or seven years and is well known to local fishermen who meet it as they return to harbour.
“With the wee fishing boat approaching the pier and scaring off all the wildlife, I thought I might as well call it a day and head home,” Phil, who works at the nearby Sullom Voe oil terminal, recalled.
“I was just about to leave when I saw the seal swim out from the pier to meet the wee boat. I decided to hang about and see what developed. The photos are the result of that hanging about.
“Fortunately the fisherman was in no hurry and when he saw me taking photos he obligingly continued interacting with the seal until all his old bait and scrap fish were gone.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
