Norwegian record Raitt's sand eel: 37 g

About Raitt's sand eel

Raitt's sand eel (Ammodytes marinus), also called the lesser sand eel, is the most common and most important sand eel in the North Sea. It is long, slim and silvery with a blue-green back, a pointed snout and a protruding lower jaw; it closely resembles A. tobianus. It grows to about 24 cm. Its way of life is unusual: it spends much of its life buried in well-oxygenated sand or gravel down to about 150 m. On spring and summer days it swims in shoals, feeding on zooplankton, especially copepods. In winter it mostly rests in the sand, breaking off only to spawn in midwinter, and the eggs stick to the sand. It is a keystone species and vital food for seabirds such as puffins and kittiwakes, and for fish like mackerel, cod and saithe. It is trawled for fishmeal and oil under quotas and area closures. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Havforskningsinstituttet, Miljødirektoratet

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Juli

See the species guide

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How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.