A SEAL is “munching all the fish” at Rochford Reservoir and eating “hundreds of pounds of fish every-day” as it continues to evade capture.

Fishermen have been left fearing the feasting seal is “decimating” the area’s fishing stock, with one furious fisherman worried it will not leave “until all the fish are eaten”.

The seal is believed to have been living in Rochford Reservoir sine December 12, happily eating the fish in the reservoir as it avoids being caught and relocated.

Essex County Council, the Environment Agency and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) have twice attempted to capture the seal.

The latest attempt, a two-day long mission on Thursday and Friday, ended in failure after the slippery animal escaped “seconds from being captured” Nick North, Rochford Reservoir licence holder of 11 years, said.

He added: “It’s in there munching all my fish and decimating the stock. It’s destroying the place. A seal that size is eating hundreds of pounds worth of fish every day. It could potentially be there until all the fish are eaten at this rate.

“We’re hoping for another crack at it, as we were unlucky last time with it escaping the nets at the last second.

“The seal looks like it has hurt itself, with a cut on its head and a big gash on its tail.”

Since taking over the licence for the reservoir in 2012, Nr North has carried out a restocking program, built a platform for disabled anglers, and cleared the lake of debris, and runs free angling sessions for kids during the school holidays.

“To see all this lost due to a seal getting into a lake where it doesn’t belong is ridiculous,” he said.

“This seal needs to be removed asap. Seals live in the sea, not fresh water lakes.” A fishing ban is in place on the lake until the seal is caught.

Councillor Dave Sperring, responsible for the environment, said: “We apologise for any inconvenience to fishers, but would ask all residents to keep their distance from the area for the safety of the seal and for themselves, and please keep your dog on a lead.”

Teams attempting to rescue the seal were hampered by the animal’s protected status.

Tranquilisers do not work well with seals.

Electrofishing, a technique used by fish biologists to collect fish by creating an electric field which temporarily stuns them, is also off the table as the required voltage would kill all nearby fish.