Give Seals Space!
The UK is home to 38% of the entire world’s population of grey seals and 30% of the European subspecies of common seals. These precious mammals face an extensive list of threats including climate change, toxic pollution, overfishing, entanglement, boat strike, plastics and other marine pollution. Of these issues, disturbance from human interaction is a significant and growing problem, but equally the easiest to solve. We can all take action today, by just giving seals space!
Human activity around the UK has increased hugely in the last decade, particularly during COVID-19 lockdowns when more people began to explore their local coastal patch. In response, Seal Alliance Members set up a Disturbance working group chaired by Sue Sayer from the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT aka Seal Research Trust nationally). Thanks to NGOs like the Seal Alliance who collated a ‘Do Not Disturb’ report and campaign in 2019, UK statutory agencies are well aware of the issues arising from coastal recreational and commercial interactions with seals but lack the financial resources to take action.
In 2020, as part of a Green Recovery Challenge Fund bid, CSGRT won funding for a new Seal Alliance campaign in 2021. The ‘Give Seals Space’ campaign focused on developing new nationally agreed wording for all members to use with the aim that consistent messaging across seal sites would reinforce behaviour change. This wording was developed into an attractive leaflet, the centre of which was cleverly designed to double as a poster and sign printable up to A0 size.
These informative resources have been distributed through member groups to at least 32 seal sites across the UK from Shetland in Scotland, to northwest and south Wales as well as to northeast, east and southwest England. Massive thanks to the volunteer effort involved in distributing leaflets and getting signs put up.
We want everyone to understand the need to be alert for seals when they are out and about enjoying the coast from land, sea and air. Getting too close to seals is always a waste of energy for resting seals, can lead to their injury if spooked into stampeding or tomb-stoning and even death for mums and pups, even up to several months later. But we can all take action today by following 4 simple steps:
• Keep well away from seals (use a camera zoom or binoculars) so they can’t smell, hear or see you
• Keep dogs on a lead where seals may be present
• Never feed seals
• Leave nothing behind
The impact on seals can be invisible and delayed. Young seals are most affected by disturbance with only 25% surviving to the age of 18 months in a bad year. Energy balance is critical. If we get too close, are noisy or startle these youngsters, they waste their energy at a time when they are still teaching themselves to feed. Disturbing a pregnant female in the summer leads to an underweight pup in the autumn who dies in the winter before it has time to teach itself to feed. In their desperation to get to the sea, stampeding or tomb-stoning seals graze flippers, rip out claws and gash their bellies leaving blood trails across the rocks.
Our ‘Give Seals Space’ campaign is backed by the government and the DEFRA Press Office issued a press release on behalf of the Seal Alliance. Media pack and further information on the campaign – key messages and resources can be found here https://www.sealalliance.org/downloads . A highly successful campaign, ‘Give Seals Space’ achieved extensive national TV, printed and online coverage.
Please help share our ‘Give Seals Space’ message. If we all follow these simple rules, we can enjoy watching seals for longer and without harm. A win–win for both people and seals.
