Visitors flock to catch a glimpse of seal
Published: February 20, 2007
A village on the banks of the River Ribble is reaping the benefits of its star attraction - Murphy the Seal!
The elusive creature was first spotted at Christmas on the banks of the river at Ribchester.
Since then visitors have been flocking to the village to try and catch a glimpse.
Nature enthusiasts believe the dark coloured creature is a common seal which swam to the Ribble Valley from Strangford Lough, a 150km long shallow sea inlet on the coast of County Down, Northern Ireland.
This has led anglers to christen it Murphy, although children at St Wilfrid’s C of E Primary School next to the river have named it Nessie.
And with some claiming there are two of the animals in the river, villagers have noticed the knock-on effect the interest in the seal has had on visitor numbers to Ribchester.
Geoff Rollinson, a wildlife artist whose gallery is in Church Street, Ribchester, has seen the seal on several occasions while walking his dog.
He said: “I watched it one day and it was basking on the surface.
“Usually it’s just its head that pokes out. I’d say it was about four feet long, probably the size of a labrador.
“It’s a kind of tourist attraction with more people in the village.”
Seal tourism’ is also a talking point in the village’s pubs, with many locals having seen the animal which generally swims in a large pool in front of the primary school.
Licensee of the White Bull in Church Street, Ruth Parker, said it was a hot topic at the bar. “We have customers coming from outside the village.
“Anything that generates interest must be a good thing.
“A lot of the customers have been talking about it,” she said.
The seal’s arrival has not been welcomed by everyone though, with nature enthusiasts warning it could have a negative impact on fish stocks.
Colin Bibby, who lives in Sunnyside Avenue and is a member of Ribchester and District Angling Club, first saw the seal on Christmas Day.
He said: “The water quality has attracted them here and the rise in fish levels.
“They’ve been starving at sea because of over fishing and that’s driven them inland.
“We hope we don’t have the problem we had with cormorants who ate a lot of the fish.
“If the seals start targeting salmon coming back to the river to spawn that’s 1,000 eggs they could be eating at the same time which could have a real effect on fish life in the river.”
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