Species description: This species of sand eel reaches up to around 20 cm and has an elongated thin body with a forked tail. The jaw is pointed with the lower jaw longer than the upper resulting in an underbite. The back of the fish is a yellow-green to blue, and the sides and underside are silver, with an overall silvery appearance. Usually seen swimming in shoals or buried in the sand.

Similar species: Especially easily confused with Ammodytes marinus. Sand eels can be extremely difficult to tell apart, and often cannot be distinguished in the field. Anything under 25 cm is likely one of the lesser sand eel species, while anything over 25 cm will be one of the greater sand eel species.

How to see this species: Found over sandy sediment down to around 30 m depth. May bury themselves in the sand in the winter. This is the most common species of sand eel in this area, recorded from most coasts of Britain and Ireland.

Current status: Data deficient, but should be included alongside Ammodytes marinus as it subject to the same threats. The same reasons for inclusion as A. marinus have therefore been included below.

Why is this species a priority in Northern Ireland?

• Criterion 2: Decline based on available data and expert judgement.
• Criterion 5: Climate change sensitive.

Threats: Overfishing is a threat to the sandeel and in addition climate change is increasingly viewed as an emerging human pressure. There is strong evidence that sandeel stocks are affected by bottom-up processes involving climate and changing plankton stocks. An increase in renewable energy developments also has the potential to affect sandeel numbers in terms of locating wind farm developments in its preferred habitat.

Action: Records of new sites for this species, with details of habitat and population are always valuable. Observations with a photograph can be recorded using iNaturalist, find the MBDP-NI iNaturalist project here.

Alternatively, records can be sent to CEDaR, National Museums Northern Ireland, 153 Bangor Road, Cultra, Holywood, County Down, BT18 0EU. Tel 028 9039 5257, e-mail cedar.records@nationalmuseumsni.org, or via the online portal.

Objectives: Choose seafood from sustainable sources, or ideally stop eating seafood altogether. Ensure careful placement of any future wind farms or other developments.

Conservation:

• Potential protection of sandeel habitat (sand banks) through designation of new MPAs under the Marine Framework Directive Strategy.
• Consultation on future marine aggregate extraction and offshore wind farm proposals.
• Research is currently being conducted on local sandeel abundances and their effects on seabirds nesting on Rathlin island.
• Effective fisheries management to protect remaining sandeel stock.

Distribution Map from NBN: Ammodytes tobianus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Ammodytes tobianus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Ammodytes tobianus at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Ammodytes tobianus Linnaeus, 1758. AphiaID: 126752.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Chordata; Vertebrata; Gnathostomata; Osteichthyes; Actinopterygii; Actinopteri; Teleostei; Perciformes; Uranoscopoidei; Ammodytidae; Ammodytes